Community: The Structure of Belonging
Praise for Peter Block'sCommunity: The Structure of Belonging"From the person who gave us the best book written on business stewardship comes the best book on how to transform the places where we live, work, and play into authentic, effective communities.  Some of Peter Block's conclusions may surprise you, but this compelling book is a must for all who love the places we call home enough to rethink our approach to building and maintaining community."--Dennis Bakke, CEO, Imagine Schools, Cofounder and CEO Emeritus, AES Corporation, and author of Joy at Work"Every earnest public servant, every volunteer, every disillusioned citizen, every civic leader, and every community activist or businessperson who truly want to make their communities better should read this book. It can serve as a guide or manual, butCommunityat its heart is a book of questions, and Peter gently and persistently reminds us that we are the answers."--James Keene, President, Alliance for Innovation and Western Director, International City/County Management Association"In this wonderfully practical book, Peter Block defines the nature of a community with manageable dimensions, creative directions, and hopeful possibilities. His methods lead us to a restoration of the joy of a genuine common life."--John McKnight, Professor of Education and Social Policy, and Codirector, Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern University"Peter Block clearly identifies the essential ingredients, qualities, questions, atmosphere. and actions needed to create and build vital communities filled with possibility, generosity, accountability, and deep engagement. Outstanding in its relevance, practicality, and clarity."--Angeles Arrien, PhD, cultural anthropologist and author ofThe Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom"This book is more than practical advice on execution of theory; it is a spiritual primer for the building up of community and transforming hope that we so desperately need in today's world.  Peter has touched us once again in that place we call `soul'".--Clint Kemp, Founding Pastor, New Providence Community Church"Peter's work has become the cornerstone of how our police department has developed over the years. What we have pleasantly discovered is that the more our capacity grows to work in partnership with each other, the more our capacity to serve our community is enhanced."--Michael Butler, Chief of Police, Longmont, Colorado"After being engaged for many years with transformations in the U.S., Latin America, and Africa, it is exciting to find a practical and deep methodology that integrates great ideas and points at new applications.  Peter's book is critical for anyone concerned about reenergizing the quality of life in our workplaces and in our communities."--Steve Zaffron, CEO, the Vanto Group, a Landmark Education Company