"Escape into the Future" analyzes the power of pessimism, showing links between present-day religious pessimism and the nihilism of popular culture. Stroup and Shuck rummage through interesting and eclectic body of pop culture--from "Fight Club" to "X-Files" to the "Left Behind" series--pointing out the presence of pessimistic themes throughout. This volume identifies and illuminates the religious language used in these works to articulate America's need to escape from its present cultural path and, ultimately, provide hope that it might do so.

Profiling a number of occupations that society deems tainted (prison guards, forensic pathologists, AIDS caregivers, and others), "Dirty Work" offers vivid, ethnographic reports that focus on the communication that helps workers manage the moral, social, and physical stains that derive from engaging in such occupations.