Publisher's Weekly Magazine has given Justice in the Burbs a great review. You can pre-order here. Download a copy of the intro and chapter one here.
Justice in the Burbs: Being the Hands of Jesus Wherever You Live Will and Lisa Samson. Baker Books, $14.99 paper (208p) ISBN 978-0-8010-6809-6
Award-winning Christian novelist Lisa Samson (Songbird; Quaker Summer) and her husband, sociology doctoral student Will Samson, intertwine fiction and nonfiction in this challenging and inspiring book about justice. Lisa Samson's novella features the Marshalls, a suburban family with all the accouterments: Matt climbs the corporate ladder, Christine cares for their three children, and both are busy with numerous church leadership positions. One day, however, Matt and Christine visit an inner-city mission, and their ideas about how they should be living gradually, but dramatically, change. The nonfiction portion of the book examines the issues these characters (and most of the book's readership) face. The Samsons talk about why God cares what we eat, where we live, how much electricity we use, and to whom we minister. Astonishingly, the authors manage to do this without hitting a sanctimonious note. On the contrary, they repeatedly highlight the heartbreak and complexity of what they refer to as "thinking and living in keeping with God's heartbeat of justice," and frequently acknowledge their own struggles and failures. The Samsons include short meditations at the end of each chapter written by a variety of Christian authors, as well as a series of helpful discussion questions at the end. (Aug.)
Great review! Congrats. :)
Posted by: Jeanne Damoff | May 30, 2007 at 05:45 PM
Very cool! My book is ordered and although I have a feeling it will be life changing (and change is just so hard sometimes!) I'm looking forward to reading it!
Posted by: Joy | May 30, 2007 at 11:32 PM
Very cool! My book is ordered and although I have a feeling it will be life changing (and change is just so hard sometimes!) I'm looking forward to reading it!
Posted by: Joy | May 30, 2007 at 11:32 PM
What a tantalizing review! I'm SO looking forward to reading this book. QS has aleady shook up my world, I'm now into IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION, and I'll be MORE than ready for BURBS when it comes out. I've already told my hubby that its a "must buy"!
BTW, I've already got it mentioned at my blog under "books I wanna read".
Do you think it would be okay to put the review you featured at my blog? Let me know what I can do there to promote it.
Thanks for being obedient to God and congratulations on a job well done. :)
Elysa Mac
Posted by: Elysa Mac | May 31, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Lisa---I posted the review at my blog. Hope it helps spread the word!:)
http://elysasmusingsfromgraceland.blogspot.com/2007/05/cant-wait-to-read-it-lisa-samson-is.html
Posted by: Elysa Mac | May 31, 2007 at 11:42 AM
I'm looking forward to reading this as well, already preordered a copy.
Posted by: Dianne | June 02, 2007 at 11:38 AM