Healing the heart of democracy : the courage to create a politics worthy of the human spirit

Blurb

* NEWS FLASH * Healing the Heart of Democracy called "one of the most important books of the early 21st Century" for those who care about democracy. (Democracy & Education)
* NEWS FLASH * Healing the Heart of Democracy named one of the "Best Books of 2011" on contemplation and social activism. (Spirituality & Practice)* NEWS FLASH * Parker J. Palmer named one of "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World" -- people who "don't just think out loud but who walk their talk on a daily basis." (The Utne Reader)
~ HOPE FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IN AN ERA OF DEEP DIVISIONS ~ In Healing the Heart of Democracy, Parker J. Palmer quickens our instinct to seek the common good and gives us the tools to do it. This timely, courageous and practical work -- intensely personal as well as political -- is not about them, "those people" in Washington D.C., or in our state capitals, on whom we blame our political problems. It's about us, "We the People," and what we can do in everyday settings like families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations and workplaces to resist divide-and-conquer politics and restore a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."

In the same compelling, inspiring prose that has made him a bestselling author, Palmer explores five "habits of the heart" that can help us restore democracy's foundations as we nurture them in ourselves and each other: (1) An understanding that we are all in this together. (2) An appreciation of the value of "otherness." (3) An ability to hold tensions in life-giving ways. (4) A sense of personal voice and agency. (5) A capacity to create community. Healing the Heart of Democracy is an eloquent and empowering call for "We the People" to reclaim our democracy. Publishers Weekly, in a *Starred Review*, said "This beautifully written book deserves a wide audience that will benefit from discussing it."