Community: The Structure of Belonging

Peter Block

ReadHowYouWant.com, Feb 20, 2009 - Social Science - 392 pages

This book is written to support those who care for the well-being of their community. It is for anyone who wants to be part of creating an organization, neighborhood, city, or country that works for all, and who has the faith and the energy to create such a place. I am one of those people. Whenever I am in a neighborhood or small town and see empty storefronts, watch people floating aimlessly on the sidewalks during school or working hours, pass by housing projects, or read about crime, poverty, or a poor environment in the places where our children and our brothers and sisters live, I am distressed and anguished. It has become impossible for me to ignore the fact that the world we are creating does not come close to fulfilling its promise. Along with this distress comes the knowledge that each of us, myself included, is participating in creating this world. If it is true that we are creating this world, then each of us has the power to heal its woundedness. This is not about guilt, it is about accountability. Citizens, in their capacity to come together and choose to be accountable, are our best shot at making a difference. This book is for all who are willing to take a leadership role that affirms the conviction that without a willingness to be accountable for our part in creating a strong and connected community, our desire to reduce suffering and increase happiness in the world becomes infinitely more difficult to fulfill. It is also based on the belief that in some way the vitality and connectedness of our communities will determine the strength of our democracy. ----From 'Community'

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Michael_Godfrey - LibraryThing

In-speaking gobbledygook written in breathy prose, reimpregnating normally comprehensible words with new meaning, this tome comes dangerously close to proving George Orwell right. I should have taken the author's advice on page 32, and read no further.

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - zappa - LibraryThing

In-speaking gobbledygook written in breathy prose, reimpregnating normally comprehensible words with new meaning, this tome comes dangerously close to proving George Orwell right. I should have taken the author's advice on page 32, and read no further.

Contents

• The Fragmented Community and Its Transformation ix PART ONE The Fabric of Community: 1
• Insights into Transformation: 3
• Shifting the Context for Community: 33
• The Stuck Community: 46
• The Restorative Community: 63
• Taking Back Our Projections: 76
• What It Means to Be a Citizen: 88
• The Transforming Community: 104
• The Alchemy of Belonging: 119
• Leadership Is Convening: 121
• The Small Group Is the Unit of Transformation 134 CHAPTER 10 Questions Are More Transforming Than Answers: 145
• Midterm Review: 162
• Invitation: 165
• The Possibility Ownership Dissent Commitment and Gifts Conversations: 181
• Bringing Hospitality into the World: 218
• Designing Physical Space That Supports Community 225 CHAPTER 15 The End of Unnecessary Suffering: 246
• Book at a Glance: 269
• Role Models and Resources: 283
• Acknowledgments: 341
• About the Author: 345
• About the Design: 347
• About BerrettKoehler Publishers: 349
• Be Connected: 351
• Index: 353

Bibliographic information

• Title: Community: The Structure of Belonging
• Author: Peter Block
• Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com, 2009
• ISBN: 1442964812, 9781442964815
• Length: 392 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Customs & Traditions