Book examines best way forward

In times of upheaval brought on by viruses and change, we could easily grow anxious and paralyzed as old routines falter, are challenged and overturned.

But New York Times reviewed author and cultural historian Howard Mansfield, whose latest book is "Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers," reminds us that over the course of our nation’s history, rather than lose hope, Americans have always chosen to seek answers and change. And that is precisely the way forward today, Mansfield says.

Mansfield is an American author of ten books about history, architecture and preservation, with two books reviewed twice by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe. His newest book, "Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers," publishes this October by Bauhan Publishing LLC.

Mansfield received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Franklin Pierce University and the Gold Medal for Commentary for City and Regional Magazines, among numerous other accolades.

Through email, I'm often asked by numerous companies to review books for mention in the paper and this one seems like a good choice of time spent perusing its pages.

Books can offer a great deal of insight about why we must keep seeking answers while giving the reforms of our pandemic era time to take hold. Mansfield says to "let things fail, let things restart."

The author points out the example of the feverish era of reform and seeking that emerged in the early 19th century. This era was marked by the seeking of utopias and new religions. This included the frenzied building of railroads, the rise of Spiritualism, a proliferation of social movements including for abolition, temperance and women’s rights.

The book also points out the similarities between past seeking frenzies and the Coronavirus age.

There's no doubt that the pandemic has once again upended routines. Now we’re reinventing the office and smothering the commute, which has set off the great urban exodus. We’re clamoring to increase pay for “essential” workers, we’re questioning police practices and trying to root out systemic racism.

Mansfield shows the important lessons that past social experiments have for us today. For example, he notes there is rarely a clear, neat path. "Reform and change aren’t a railroad running from station to station," he writes. "It sometimes takes many people in debate and argument to change society."

The book serves as a reminder that often reforms don’t arrive where the reformers want. The Temperance movement’s success with Prohibition was its undoing, Mansfield notes. All reforms are unfinished, but they get us to the next stage of the journey. And where is that? At the starting line. America is always at the starting line, Mansfield says.

If anything, the book serves as a reality check: "change takes time." Too often, we make ourselves dizzy chasing trends. After a few months, we’re too ready to call a movement or a new design for life "out of fashion, over - It’s so 2020." We move on. But it takes time to go from protest to legislation to real change in behavior - a lot of time - and perseverance.

Nancy Hastings is a Daily News staff writer and can be reached at nhastings@hillsdale.net. Follow her on Twitter: @nhastingsHDN.