The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution

This intellectual but readable volume explains the history of social development over the past couple hundred years to explain how we arrived at this point in time as a society. Why do people believe that they should "do you"? Why do people think that their emotions are the best guide to their life choices? The Romantics and the Enlightenment are part of the story, but there is so much more to it. Conservatives will find this most interesting, but it is so well written and logically explained, that I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand their culture.