First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

As this book cogently states this is an eclectic examination of current social problems using the lenses of literature, whether fiction or non-fiction, to open doors to understanding the potential for new and creative interventions that have the potential for transformative change. The beginning quote from Toni Morrison bringing light to those who don't always find themselves true ownership to the land to which they are rooted in is a climate system for readers of this book. James Agee and Walker Evans provide a clear and yet complex vision of how they came to study three families in Hale...

This book pulls an array of voices together to understand the convoluted times of 2016 to 2021 and the unique times of COVID-19. The killing of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, and the death of John Lewis are events that highlight a historical revival for numerous social justice issues. This book stresses the importance of sociologist W. I. Thomas's work: "if you define a situation as real, it is real in its consequences" a otherwise termed the world of subjective reality. This helps explain what happened on January 6, 2021.