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We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy
From the former faith adviser to President Obama comes an inspirational guide for those who seek to promote positive social change and build a more diverse and just democracy
The goal of social change work is not a more ferocious revolution; it is a more beautiful social order. It is harder to organize a fair trial than it is to fire up a crowd, more challenging to build a good school than it is to tell others they are doing education all wrong. But every decent society requires fair trials and good schools, and that’s just the beginning of the list of institutions and structures that need to be efficiently created and effectively run in large-scale diverse democracy. We Need to Build is a call to create those institutions and a guide for how to run them well. In his youth, Eboo Patel was inspired by love-based activists like John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Badshah Khan, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Thich Nhat Hanh. Their example, and a timely challenge to build the change he wanted to see, led to a life engaged in the particulars of building, nourishing, and sustaining an institution that seeks to promote positive social change—Interfaith America. Now, drawing on his twenty years of experience, Patel tells the stories of what he’s learned and how, in the process, he came to construct as much as critique and collaborate more than oppose. His challenge to us is those of us committed to refounding America as a just and inclusive democracy need to defeat the things we don’t like by building the things we do.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2022
About the author
Eboo Patel
30 books70 followersNamed by US News & World Report as one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009, Eboo Patel is the Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a Chicago-based organization building the global interfaith youth movement. Author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith, Eboo is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post, USA Today and CNN. He served on President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2023
This book may cause some people to rethink their basic assumptions about how to achieve the just society they properly desire. Eboo Patel offers essential perspectives that some white progressives (and those they've influenced) may have overlooked—or forgotten. When the dust has settled after protests and court cases, the real work of building institutions remains to be done—thus Patel's astute observation that focus on constructing the world desired is more productive than spending one's finite energies on rage and withdrawal no matter how greatly justified.
In successive personal anecdotes, the author relates his own painful experiences with racist taunts and microaggressions—these accounts, together with Patel's broader research, provide an authoritative view of race issues that (culturally) white people may not naturally perceive. Equally powerful are Patel's accounts of mutual acceptance among persons of different religious faiths—that aspect alone makes this book uniquely valuable.
Patel illustrates how progressive cancel culture is itself an expression of white privilege. Instead of preaching about and to people of color, white progressives need to truly listen to them now more than ever—and fortunately many are. People are beginning to see how emphasizing group oppression without the context of individual victories snuffs out the personal agency essential to overcoming the real oppression experienced.
Burning it down (euphemistically), leaves only a smoldering heap that's not much use to anyone—and even afterward the oppressors still oppress, sometimes worse than before. Patel recommends instead to build institutions designed to achieve just and beneficial goals—and the way to accomplish that is to ensure everyone's dignity and individual agency is sustained in a multi-cultural and multi-faith democracy that empowers our common humanity. This is the society we need to build. After reading this book, I'm convinced we can.
In successive personal anecdotes, the author relates his own painful experiences with racist taunts and microaggressions—these accounts, together with Patel's broader research, provide an authoritative view of race issues that (culturally) white people may not naturally perceive. Equally powerful are Patel's accounts of mutual acceptance among persons of different religious faiths—that aspect alone makes this book uniquely valuable.
Patel illustrates how progressive cancel culture is itself an expression of white privilege. Instead of preaching about and to people of color, white progressives need to truly listen to them now more than ever—and fortunately many are. People are beginning to see how emphasizing group oppression without the context of individual victories snuffs out the personal agency essential to overcoming the real oppression experienced.
Burning it down (euphemistically), leaves only a smoldering heap that's not much use to anyone—and even afterward the oppressors still oppress, sometimes worse than before. Patel recommends instead to build institutions designed to achieve just and beneficial goals—and the way to accomplish that is to ensure everyone's dignity and individual agency is sustained in a multi-cultural and multi-faith democracy that empowers our common humanity. This is the society we need to build. After reading this book, I'm convinced we can.
July 27, 2022
There are a lot of positive things that I took away from this book. Unfortunately almost all of it is undermined by yet another progressive who cannot seem to escape Trump Derangement Syndrome. I don’t even like Trump. I’m tired of defending him. This book could just as easily have been written with the barest mention of Trump and been far more effective in its message. Read it for the positive aspects. Skim the Trump garbage (which includes an entire chapter painting Trump as the living embodiment of evil and Obama as a veritable saint. Please.).
April 29, 2023
read this for my env studies class! really enjoyed reading patel’s perspective. he really emphasized the need for unity; the unity of religions, the unity of political parties, the unity of races, etc. in a world where literally everything is polarized this was really refreshing. i also really loved how many analogies and examples patel used to illustrate his points! helped make his argument that much more convincing and understandable. not sure if love and unity is gonna solve everything but it was nice to read such an optimistic text. solid 4 stars from me!
August 12, 2022
Overall a decent read, if a bit meandering at times. I struggled to get through the first few chapters but the latter half had some content I enjoyed (though that section of the book read more like vignettes/blog posts rather than parts of a cohesive whole). Would recommend for those that are interested in the role of institutions.
December 12, 2022
a path forward
This is a powerful message for a country locked in contention and lack of dialogue. The vision of pluralist religion uplifted me. The letter to his sons is reminiscent of scriptural messages from other faiths.
This is a powerful message for a country locked in contention and lack of dialogue. The vision of pluralist religion uplifted me. The letter to his sons is reminiscent of scriptural messages from other faiths.
April 2, 2023
A profoundly interesting and compelling read that resonated deeply with me as I chart my own journey. Well written, honest and so very worthwhile. Highly recommend to those interested in challenging norms and learning about and accepting others.
September 17, 2022
Lacked some cohesion and a clear map for action, but appreciated the underlying concepts of inclusion of and curiosity for others.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews