Professor George Jochnowitz and his daughter Miriam were teaching in China at the time of the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. The experience drastically changed the author's way of thinking about Marxism. Professor Jochnowitz saw that the rulers of China were acting in the spirit of Karl Marx, whose writing logically led to dictatorship and famine. Many people have expressed negative views about communism. Some have harsh words for Marxism as well. Almost nobody, however, will take the next step and relate the cruelty of Marxism to the words of Marx. Living and teaching in China led Professor Jochnowitz to cross this line and examine his experience and new outlook in The Blessed Human Race. Having crossed this political line, Professor Jochnowitz crossed others as well. His thoughts about faith of any sort, religious or political, became negative. The idea of justification through faith became morally offensive. He concluded that this world has too many idols that go unquestioned. Questioning major and minor taboos, including interpretation of works of music as well as politics and religion, he concludes that the human race's virtue is found in questioning rather than obedience.

Professor George Jochnowitz and his daughter Miriam were teaching in China at the time of the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989. The experience drastically changed the author's way of thinking about Marxism. Professor Jochnowitz saw that the rulers of China were acting in the spirit of Karl Marx, whose writing logically led to dictatorship and famine. Many people have expressed negative views about communism. Some have harsh words for Marxism as well. Almost nobody, however, will take the next step and relate the cruelty of Marxism to the words of Marx. Living and teaching in China led Professor Jochnowitz to cross this line and examine his experience and new outlook in The Blessed Human Race. Having crossed this political line, Professor Jochnowitz crossed others as well. His thoughts about faith of any sort, religious or political, became negative. The idea of justification through faith became morally offensive. He concluded that this world has too many idols that go unquestioned. Questioning major and minor taboos, including interpretation of works of music as well as politics and religion, he concludes that the human race's virtue is found in questioning rather than obedience. For more information, visit the author's Web site atjochnowitz.net.

Part 1 Acknowledgements
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 I: Learning to Reconsider
Chapter 4 Baoding Revisted
Chapter 5 Beijing Spring
Chapter 6 We Flee China
Chapter 7 Marx, Money, and Mysticism after Mao
Chapter 8 China, Marx, and Islam
Chapter 9 Happiness in Chinese Culture
Part 10 II: Reconsiderations
Chapter 11 Reconsidering Marx
Chapter 12 Reconsidering Salvation through Faith
Chapter 13 Reconsidering Abraham
Chapter 14 Reconsidering 20th-century Music
Chapter 15 ReconsideringThe Magic Flute
Chapter 16 ReconsideringCosì Fan Tutte
Chapter 17 Reconsidering Shakespeare
Chapter 18 Reconsidering Dark Restaurants
Chapter 19 Reconsidering Tipping
Chapter 20 Reconsidering Wasting Food
Chapter 21 Reconsidering Santa Claus
Chapter 22 Reconsidering Sports
Chapter 23 Reconsidering Gay and Jewish Success
Chapter 24 Reconsidering the Blessed Human Race