Be Good

Drawn from twelve years of the New York Times Magazine's Ethicist column, a collection that "blends nuanced ethical discussions with gentle humor" (Publishers Weekly).

As he provides carefully considered answers to readers' questions about everything from inheritance issues to secrets between spouses to whether shrubbery robbery is ever acceptable, Randy Cohen helps you locate your own internal ethical compass. Organized thematically in an easy-to-navigate Q&A format, and featuring line illustrations throughout, this amusing and engaging book challenges us to think about how we would (or should) respond when faced with everyday moral challenges, in areas from sex and love to religion, technology, and much more. Sure to provoke thought and spark healthy debate, Be Good is a book to refer to again and again.


"While there's plenty of common sense inside this book, there's also lots to ponder about right and wrong." —Alaska Journal

"What struck me most was his claim that, despite our quickly changing world of social media and altered interpersonal communications, ethics themselves have not changed much over time . . . When in doubt about how to act, be good." —Oprah.com