Atheist Awakening: Secular Activism and Community in America by Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith examines the evolution of organized secularism in America, including the search for rituals to forge communities out of individualists.
Community and Politics of Place by Daniel Kemmis contends that that present-day issues such as voter participation, wilderness and farm policy, and economic development strategies all cry out for individuals to work together to renew civic culture.
The Community of Kindness: Reconnecting to Friends, Family and the World through the Power of Kindness by the Editors of Random Acts of Kindness tells stories about people who have received or witnessed acts of kindness, with the aim of midwifing a new world based on compassion.
Everyday Mysticism: A Contemplative Community at Work in the Desert by Ariel Glucklich gives a firsthand account of Neot Smadar, an intentional ecological and spiritual community which has been going for a quarter of a century in the Southern Israeli desert.
From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier contains two lectures given at Harvard Divinity School in 1988 by the founder of L'Arche ("The Ark") movement. His experiences living and working with men and women with mental disabilities have given him a unique slant on the meaning of community.
Fugitive Faith: Conversations on Spiritual, Environmental, and Community Renewal by Benjamin Webb presents interviews with 17 spiritual leaders, environmentalists, and naturalists, revealing that the spiritual politics of the future must be ecologically active, ecumenical, and global in outreach.
The Good Funeral: Death, Grief, and the Community of Care by Thomas Lynch and Thomas G. Long takes a rounded look at the funeral industry and the elements that make up a good funeral, with support for the community of friends and family who accompany the deceased to the place of farewell.
A Good Neighbor: Benedict's Guide to Community by Robert Benson expresses the yearning for community in a world of constant speed and isolation. It focuses on the Rule of St. Benedict, which shows how to build a merciful, hospitable, and caring community.
The Healing Wisdom of Africa: Finding Life's Purpose Through Nature, Ritual and Community by Malidoma Patrice Some shows how the wisdom of the indigenous world speaks to the loneliness, anonymity, and craving for rituals in the West.
Hearth: A Global Conversation on Community, Identity, and Place by Annick Smith and Susan O'Connor brings us the voices of distinguished writers from around the world on the significance of hearth in these times of refugee crises, environmental disasters, and community-destroying technology.
In the Company of Others: Making Community in the Modern World by Claude Whitmyer gathers together 32 essays that laud the creation of well-functioning community as one of the most powerful imperatives of American life.
Intentional Christian Community Handbook: For Idealists, Hypocrites, and Wannabe Disciples of Jesus by David Janzen covers topics like the call to discipleship, transforming conflict into solidarity, leadership, a common table, when people leave, sustaining prophetic vocations and families in community, and becoming accountable.
Journeys of Courage: Remarkable Stories of the Healing Power of Community by Joy Carol is an inspiring collection of stories about compassionate and healing caregivers in communities torn apart by violence, hatred, isolation, and prejudice.
Joyfully Together: The Art of Building a Harmonious Community by Thich Nhat Hanh shares some of the spiritual practices used in Plum Village, a meditation community in France, and salutes Sangha building as a necessary step for those on the path of spiritual practice.
Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer melds the practices of personal prayer, worship in common, work, and service as the roots of a community committed to the ministry of listening, active helpfulness, and bearing suffering with others.
Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community by Joseph P. Gill, R. Taylor McLean, Susan M. Ward, and Suzanne G. Farnham is the 20th anniversary edition of a resource that has been used to explore call, discernment, and community by individuals, groups, retreatants, and church leaders.
More Together Than Alone by Mark Nepo offers a vision of community animated by visionary vigor, philosophical rigor, a cross-cultural purview, and a poetic sensibility.
Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World by Bill Plotkin is a manifesto for taking into consideration the more-than-human world as we reconfigure our political, educational, business, and religious institutions.
The New Community: A portrait of life together in words and pictures by Elizabeth O'Connor describes the mission of the Christian church as creating liberating communities of caring.
Opening Our Moral Eye: Essays, Talks & Poems Embracing Creativity and Community by M. C. Richards emerged from the author's experience in community with disabled adults practicing biodynamic agricultural methods.
A Place to Hold My Shaky Heart: Reflections from Life in Community by Sue Mosteller gathers together the stories of nine individuals with disabilities who have taught the author about the miracles that can bloom in a place where true caring and sharing are practiced. This paperback offers a vibrant and rounded view of life together in love.
Peacemaking Circles: From Crime to Community by Barry Stuart, Kay Pranis, and Mark Wedge share ideas and practices born from the authors' experiences as pioneers in the restorative justice movement.
Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community by Henri J. M. Nouwen with a foreword by John Dear assembles nearly all of Nouwen's writings on peace, disarmament, and social justice in one anthology. Again and again, he comes back to the insights of Oscar Romero, Thomas Merton, and others who grounded their nonviolence in prayer and community solidarity.
Prayer and Community: The Benedictine Tradition by Columba Stewart examines the Rule of St. Benedict that has provided structure and meaning for communities trying to live a life organized around mindfulness of the presence of God.
Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community by Wendell Berry expresses counterculture values in contrast to consumerism, big business, and all abstract thinking.
Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision by Randy S. Woodley praises Native American efforts to keep shalom — a dynamic, holistic, tangible, and communal peace — alive through generosity, hospitality, mercy, and beauty.
The Spirit of Community: Rights, Responsibilities, and the Communitarian Agenda by Amitai Etzioni, the founder of the Communitarian movement, outlines recommendations to improve civic life.
Transforming Communities by Sandhya Rani Jha heralds a new day when people will be empowered by community conversations, restorative justice models, new housing possibilities, overcoming hate, blooming where you are planted, energizing faith, and moving beyond the cult of individualism through life-affirming collaboration.
Transforming Our Days: Spirituality, Community and Liturgy in a Technological Culture by Richard R. Gaillardetz looks into the ways that technology has devalued the mundane spheres of human life and salutes the communal spirituality of Christianity, which functions as "a school of discipleship."
Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal by Andrew Hacker marshals an impressive array of statistics to establish a case of ongoing discrimination against blacks, as evident in racial differentials for family life, earnings, employment, education, and crimes.
A User-Friendly Parish: Becoming a More Welcoming Community by Judith Ann Kollar scores some poignant points on the need to make worship more welcoming and to create more ways for people to connect with others through church activities, especially community service.
Ways We Live by Susan Berlin gathers material on a variety of intentional communities that have met people's needs for mutuality and meaning.
Welcoming Spirit Home: Ancient African Teachings to Celebrate Children and Community by Sobonfu Some explains the all-important role of children in the Dagara tribe of West Africa: They are "the life-givers, the healers, the messengers of the ancestors. They bring out the spirit of the community — they bring spirit home."
Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-on Guide To Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community by Jill Jaobs hits high stride with insights into the five kinds of social justice work: direct service, advocacy, tzedakah, community investment, and organizing. There is also a fine list of organizational resources at the end of the book.
Why We Live in Community by Eberhard Arnold springs from experiences during Nazi persecution in the WWII era, when the Bruderhof community was founded as an alternative in which people share everything in common, and meet daily for meals, prayer, worship, singing, and decision making.
Wisdom Circles: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Community Building in Small Groups by Charles Garfield, Cindy Spring, and Sedonia Cahill details the basics of calling a circle together, creating rituals, sustaining the process, dealing with difficult people, and rotating leadership to create places for heart-to-heart communication and vision-sharing.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat devoted an issue of their newsletter Living Room Learning in 1990 to Community. In this pdf of that section, you will find descriptions of many books about communities.
