Community, Third Edition - by Peter Block (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The updated bestseller showing leaders how to transform fragmentation into authentic community--with new workplace applications and proven strategies for today's divided world.

With increasing violence, widening ideological divides, and growing economic inequality, a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. Yet typical ways of engaging people civically and organizationally remain unchanged. In Community, Peter Block explores how authentic community can emerge from fragmentation and offers practical steps to foster transformation.

This updated third edition draws on decades of implementing Block's ideas and includes the following:

• New stories and examples demonstrating community building as a more powerful approach to social problems than traditional policies and programs
• Expanded resources and a discussion guide designed for classroom and training program use
• A new closing chapter covering broader implications of the book's ideas for organizational transformation
• Fresh content exploring the creative economy's relationship to belonging and social capital's role in authentic engagement
• Updated examples showing how community principles apply to today's workplace and virtual world challenges

From neighborhood councils transforming local engagement to organizations shifting from competitive to cooperative cultures, Block demonstrates how simple positive change can be once we decide it's essential. Whether you're a community leader, organizational consultant, or concerned citizen, this book provides the framework and tools to move from fragmentation to connection, from isolation to belonging.

Review Quotes

"This book challenges the conventional wisdom about what you and I can do as citizens to shape our future. It offers concrete examples of what citizens can do and have done by drawing on resources in their families and communities."
--David Mathews, President, Kettering Foundation

"This book is the basis for health and happiness in any society. A must-read."
--Quentin Young, Chairman, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, and former President, American Public Health Association

"'What we need is here.' That line from a Wendell Berry poem sums up the theme that runs through this vital and timely book. This book is a treasure. And it can help us recover the treasures hidden in plain sight within and among us, renewing ourselves and our democracy as we go."
--Parker J. Palmer, Founder, Center for Courage and Renewal, and author of A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to Teach

"Don't wait for a politician, scientist, infomercial, or lottery ticket to come to the rescue. Read this powerful book and help yourself, your neighbors, and your planet to satisfying and sustainable solutions found only in community."
--Jim Diers, former Director, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and author of Neighbor Power

About the Author

Peter Block is an author and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a cofounder of Designed Learning, a training company offering workshops based on his books' principles. Peter founded the Common Good Collective, participates in the Common Good Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, and served on his local neighborhood council. He serves on the board of LivePerson, a provider of online engagement solutions. His books include Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, Community, The Abundant Community, and Activating the Common Good. His works have collectively sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.