Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Social Justice and the Power of Compassion: Meaningful Involvement of Organizations in Bettering the Environment and Community

Social Justice and the Power of Compassion looks at how a single person, or a small organization, working at the grassroots level can make great strides in helping the marginalized and disenfranchised. Marguerite Guzman Bouvard weaves the personal stories of the founders and directors of such organizations as the Polaris Project, MADRE, and the Harpswell Foundation to show how they have dealt with social problems of many kinds that have been invisible for too long. From dealing with climate change to giving housing and giving medical care to the homeless these people and their organizations have created models that have been replicated around the country and successfully given widespread attention to these important issues. Review Social Justice and the Power of Compassion is a fascinating study on what Vaclav Havel calls the "Power of the Powerless." Marguerite Bouvard introduces us to a wide range of remarkable people whose actions change the lives of the marginalized and oppressed by helping them gain dignity and self worth and re-enter society as transformative agents of change.--Emily Markides, University of Maine Social Justice and the Power of Compassion is the latest iteration of Marguerite Bouvard's commitment to righting injustices. Her portraits of passionate leaders of nonprofit ecological and social justice organizations will inspire sociology professors and the general public.--Shulamit Reinharz, PhD, Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology; Founding Director Brandeis University Women's Studies Research Center Social Justice and the Power of Compassion is a compelling story of 13 "earth angels" who found deep meaning in their lives, following the call of the spirit within, and creating remarkable organizations to compassionately serve others. A timely and inspiring antidote to the cynicism and hopelessness that pervade today's politics, press and popular culture.--Florence George Graves, Founding Director The Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and The Justice Brandeis Law Project, Brandeis University Social Justice, the Power of Compassion is an inspiring book, offering hope and vision that enables us to understand how one man and his sons can address climate change with innovation, making a difference in prevention and worldwide recovery. It is not about politics, but how one person and also an organization of women from around the world can mobilize women in impoverished regions to respond to what is now occurring on a massive scale.--Laura Golden, Professor of Environmental Studies, Brandeis University Social Justice and the Power of Compassion is a timely book that shows us how physicians across the country are concerned about gun shot wounds as a health problem, providing trauma care for the wounded, and also how to treat the homeless who suffer from so many illnesses. This book reveals how it is possible to help the marginalized and the traumatized so that can re-enter society as productive citizens. It also demonstrates that a caring relationship with a physician is a powerful form of healing.--Isaac Schiff, MD, Joe Vincent Meigs Distinguished Professor of gynocology, Harvard Medical School; physician of obstetrics and gynocology, the Massachusetts General Hospital About the Author Marguerite Guzman Bouvard, is a resident scholar with the Women's Studies Program at Brandeis University. She is the author of books in the fields of political science, psychology, women's studies, and poetry, including Mothers of Adult Children (Lexington, 2013), The Invisible Wounds of War; Coming Home from Iraq and Afghanistan (Prometheus, 2012), and Revolutionizing Motherhood: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002), and has edited two anthologies, all connected by a concern for human rights and the human condition.