Paul Loeb, “The Impossible Will Take a Little While” (Basic Books, 2014)

Paul Loeb is well known in sociology as the author of Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in Challenging Times, and for the previous edition of the book reviewed here. His books are used in college classes all across the country. Paul also has a presence as a public intellectual who takes his ideas to the radio waves, college speakers’ forums, and the Internet. He is the founder of the Campus Election Engagement Project. This new edition of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: Perseverance and Hope in Troubled Time (Basic Books; Second Edition, 2014) is a reader with about 50 carefully selected readings, divided into nine groups each of which has its own title. These are short readings of 3-10 pages, each written by a notable political or literary figure. Alice Walker, Pablo Neruda, Desmund Tutu, and Marian Wright Edelman are among the authors. Loeb enlivens the collection with anecdotes recalling his interactions with some of the writers–such as the evening he spent drinking wine with the radical priest and antiwar activist Philip Berrigan. In this interview Paul Loeb shares thoughts on the writers and experiences that shaped the course of his life, and offers some reflections on the forces that are shaping our own time. Go to: www.paulloeb.org

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