I Take off My Hat: Respectful Yet Pertinent End-of-the-Age Essays

In a time of increasing national turbulence and uncertainty caused by war, economic recession, and a sometimes dangerously hyper-competitive political environment, Julian C. Hartzell recognizes the need for Americans to work together, side by side, toward a shared national vision, enabled by and rooted in our history. In this collection of his letters, essays, and personal reflections, Hartzell points out potentially hazardous downfalls in American government, politics, and society and offers practical and promising ideas and pathways by which to move our nationat least conceptuallyinto the future with unity. Drawing upon decisive lessons from American history and a number of religious and spiritual traditions, Hartzell identifies how the examples of past political and spiritual leaders, especially those of the Founding Era, remain profoundly relevant, meaningful, and encouraging in our hazardous situation today.

Julian C. Hartzell was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up on Long Island. He received his undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of Rochester. Hartzell then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a masters degree in drama. He now resides in San Francisco, which he has called home (and his personal self-study center) for the past forty years. In his writing, Hartzell draws upon personal experiences, his religious life and its consequences, and his deeply displayed love, respect, and commitment to the joyful continuation of Americas original spiritual motivations, traditions, and related beliefs.