This book review was shared by Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education of the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries and chair of the National Council of Churches Public Education and Literacy committee. I was up late last night reading Berkeley professor, David Kirp’s new book about school reform in Union City, New […]
Models of Anti- Poverty Ministry – Presentation and Recommended Reading
In the first of the NCC Poverty Initiative’s Pastors Ending Poverty webinar series, Tronn Moller of the Faith and Community Development Institute shared some models of anti-poverty ministry for congregations to consider when planning how to confront poverty as a Christian community. Download his presentation here, and watch the video here. He also recommended the […]
When Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets
Recommended by: Rev. John Mueller, Trinity UMC, Springfield, MA When Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets, by Timothy Black. This book is an ethnographic study, and tries to honestly present the stories of the lives of three brothers and their families in Springfield, MA. It […]
The Spirit Level: Why Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson
The Spirit Level: Why Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson, Bloomsbury Press, 2011. Recommended by Dr. Tim Ready, Director of the Lewis Walker Institute for Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University and contributor to research and content on Michigan Voices for Action, a premier source for information on poverty […]
One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All, By: Mark Robert Rank
One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All by Mark Robert Rank. Recommended by Shantha Ready Alonso, NCC Advocacy and Outreach Specialist. I was lucky enough to study social work at Washington University in St. Louis, where Professor Rank teaches. Consistent with his lectures and articles, this book is sure to enlighten and surprise. […]
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh published by Ballantine books New York 2011. Recommended by Ann Deibert, pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY. A first novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers tells the story of Victoria Jones, who is finding her way in the world after growing up in foster […]
Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel
Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel. Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer with the Church of the Brethren, recommends this book. Published in 2002, it gives an overview of the problem of hunger in the United States through various lenses – the middle class, the always poor, the working poor, the military, […]
Ministry with Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, by W. Wilson Goode, Charles E. Lewis Sr., & Dean Harold Trulear.
Ministry With Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, by W. Wilson Goode, Charles E. Lewis Sr., & Dean Harold Trulear. Recommended by Robert Brand of Solutions For Progress. This book brings history and data about the U.S. criminal justice system into conversation with the hope of our faith. With an emphasis on the African American […]
Economy, Difference, Empire: Social Ethics for Social Justice, by Gary Dorrien
Economy, Difference, Empire: Social Ethics for Social Justice, by Gary Dorrien. Recommended by NCC Poverty Director Rev. Michael Livingston. Gary Dorrien argues for the social-ethical necessity of politics well seasoned in social justice. His essays analyse major historical and contemporary figures such as Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Niebuhr, Rosemary R. Reuther, Ctie Cannon, and Cornel West. […]
Child Poverty and Inequality, By Duncan Lindsey
Child Poverty and Inequality, By Duncan Lindsey Recommended by Linda O. Tilly, Executive Director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children: “Simply THE best work I have read outlining public policy that has dramatically reduced child poverty in other nations and could do so in the U.S. Lindsey begins with a history of how the wealthiest nation […]
