The author, a noted sociologist of religion, attempts to ascertain what determines the qualities of kindness and caring in modern society. He examines a cross-section of American youth to discover how the habit of caring is developed, and how parents and organizations instill morals in the young.

"Robert Wuthnow shines the careful light of scholarship on teenage volunteers."--Christianity Today "In any age, a book urging us to care more for each other sounds a welcome appeal, and this book, especially focused on the young, offers many insights and narratives about teenage volunteers."--The Washington Post "How do we learn to care, Wuthnow asks. In response he offers a critically insightful vision, filled with factual analysis and personal feeling, of exemplary practices and stories set within a web of family ties, churches, schools, and organized volunteer work. Here moral exercise and reflection combine to cultivate compassion among the young, moving them to care for others and serve their communities. This book answers our longing to live in a good society. It stirs our hope to heal the wounds we share."--Steven Tipton, Department of Sociology, Emory University "A very thoughtful, timely, thorough book--on one of the most important issues of our future."--Amitai Etzioni, author of The Spirit of Community: Rights, Responsibilities, and the Communitarian Agenda

A probing look at how we can nuture caring in our young people Draws on deeply moving personal accounts of young people who have become involved in community service Reveals that caring is learned from family and from early volunteer experiences A sequel to Wuthnow's highly regarded Acts of Compassion, which was nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award

Robert Wuthnow is the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor of Social Sciences and Director of the Center for the Study of American Religion at Princeton University. He is the author of numerous books on religion in America and Editor-at-Large of Christian Century, to which he is a frequent contributor.

A probing look at how we can nuture caring in our young people Draws on deeply moving personal accounts of young people who have become involved in community service Reveals that caring is learned from family and from early volunteer experiences A sequel to Wuthnow's highly regarded Acts of Compassion, which was nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award