Rachel and Her Children or How Would Jesus Vote

Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America

Author: Jonathan Kozol

The story that jolted the conscience of the nation when it first appeared in The New Yorker

Jonathan Kozol is one of America’s most forceful and eloquent observers of the intersection of race, poverty, and education. His books, from the National Book Award–winning Death at an Early Age to his most recent, the critically acclaimed Shame of the Nation, are touchstones of the national conscience. First published in 1988 and based on the months the author spent among America’s homeless, Rachel and Her Children is an unforgettable record of the desperate voices of men, women, and especially children caught up in a nightmarish situation that tears at the hearts of readers. With record numbers of homeless children and adults flooding the nation’s shelters, Rachel and Her Children offers a look at homelessness that resonates even louder today.

Anna Quindlen

This book is passionate and often unbearably moving. It is also sometimes dull, incomplete and rhetorical. It is painfully uneven. . . . Mr. Kozol has his whole heart in it. I wish it was enough. Assembled just right, the factual underpinnings interspersed in judicious and selective amounts with the stories, the people more in evidence, the author less so, this could have been a book which not only preached to the converted, but converted the hard of heart. It probably will not do that, and that is a shame. -- New York Times

Publishers Weekly

To write this ``jolting firsthand report,'' Kozol spent months among the homeless, whose depressing stories, interwoven with his commentaries, tell of infant deaths, malnutrition, hunger, loss of dignity and desperation. ``This powerful volume,'' PW maintained, `` forces one to ask: `What are our national priorities?' '' Author tour. (Feb.)

Library Journal

Here are the less visible homelesswomen and children living in shelters and hotels under degrading conditions. Kozol, known for his books on education, introduces us to some of those at the bottom of America's underclass, the residents of a hotel for the homeless in New York, which can only be described as a house of horrors. Kozol faults everyone involved: governments, social agencies, landlords, the courts, and indifferent Americans in general for permitting the perpetuation of the shocking conditions endured by homeless families. This book could be the incentive needed to spark humane solutions. Highly recommended. BOMC selection. Anne Twitchell, EPA Headquarters Lib., Washington, D.C.

School Library Journal

YA A horrifying, staggering book about the homeless in this country as specifically exemplified by those who are housed in the Martinique Hotel in New York. Through direct, simply stat ed interviews with several families in the Martinique over a period of time, Kozol systematically strips away the stereotypic litany of what is wrong with welfare recipients (too lazy to work, etc.). He shows repeated case histories of people held captive by a welfare sys tem that would rather pay the private sector $1,900 a month to house them in squalor than give them perhaps a third of that amount for apartment rent and a chance to gain back their self-respect. There is much about this book that is not only infuriating but also uncomfort able; many of these people have previ ously been educated, productive citi zens who have endured several life crises and lost everything. The true heart of this book, however, rests on two pointsthe lack of affordable housing for the poor and, most tragical ly, the children who will become adults with little education, poor health, no marketable skills, and mental and emo tional scars from spending a childhood under these conditions. Kozol's writing is clear and reads easily due to his stark, unembellished style. It is always the people who shine through; they are a testament to the human spirit. It is impossible to read this book and remain untouched. Barbara Weathers, Du chesne Academy, Houston

New interesting textbook: Retaking Rationality or Cicero

How Would Jesus Vote?: A Christian Perspective on the Issues

Author: D James Kennedy

The 2008 election is shaping up to be one of the most important political contests in American history. In fact, Dr. D. James Kennedy believes it will be a watershed moment that could impact our very survival as a nation under God.

Values voters–people whose political views and votes are based on their faith in God–are being targeted as never before. As we move forward in the campaign season, the significant players will debate terrorism, radical Islam, nuclear threats, global warming, social issues, gay marriage, immigration, education, health care, and many other essential issues that can create sharp ideological divisions.

Into this overwhelmingly complex political situation, Dr. Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe bring a clear, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God’s Word has to say on these critical matters. How Would Jesus Vote? isn’t intended to tell you which candidates to support; rather it offers you a Christ-centered understanding of the world to help you draw your own political conclusions.

This election, don’t cast an uninformed vote that fails to reflect your values. Instead, learn how to apply your faith and obedience to God to your ballot. This timely, helpful, and hopeful book will enable you to do just that.

Publishers Weekly

In his final book, Kennedy, who died in September of this year, joins his Coral Ridge Ministries colleague Newcombe in proffering this biblical justification of their socially conservative position on issues important to their followers, including abortion, the death penalty, war, education and freedom of religion. Kennedy and Newcombe make provocative claims throughout. Regarding abortion, they cite a study that found that 99% of women who have had abortions now wish abortions were illegal. About allocation of government funds, they argue that money currently spent on school lunch programs would be better spent on national defense against "jihadists." When discussing health care, they accuse England and the Netherlands, both countries with national health services, of killing babies and the elderly. Such remarks are paired with what Kennedy and Newcombe characterize as a humble search of the Scriptures, and each chapter ends with a summary of how the authors feel Jesus would have American Christians vote. While most of this book is standard conservative Christian fare, Kennedy and Newcombe give it a distinctive Calvinist flavor, focusing particularly on Calvin's belief that "God has distributed this world's goods as he has seen fit," and that not all poor people are deserving of Christian charity. (Jan. 15)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Table of Contents:

Foreword     vii
Acknowledgments     xi
Jesus and Politics
Do Jesus and Politics Mix?     3
Render unto Caesar     23
Salt and Light     37
The Issues
Matters of Life and Death: Abortion, Stem Cells, Suicide, and Euthanasia     47
Crime and Punishment: Judging the Death Penalty     59
War: Is It Ever Justified?     69
Education and Our Schools     85
Economic Concerns     99
Health-Care Issues     119
The Environment and Climate Change     131
Immigration and Racial Prejudice     145
Marriage: Society's Smallest Unit     161
Judicial Activism and the Courts     173
Final Thoughts
The Problem of Political Compromise     183
Put Not Your Trust in Princes     193
Epilogue: Something More Basic Than Politics     209
Defending Religious Liberty     213
Notes     233
Index     255