Book Description

The world is hungry to have an awakening. Hope and purpose are just waiting to be discovered. This is my guidebook. In 1938, a three-year-old Bavarian boy's father was called to war. His destination was the Russian front. The boy vividly remembered the family's outhouse. Toilet paper hung from a wire, but when the Great War came, the toilet paper was replaced with newspaper. Then there came a day that the newspaper, too, would be gone. All that was left were the religious texts of the boy's father, a Lutheran minister. A decision by the boy's mother had to be made, and the fallout later would have a postwar German family trying to put the pieces of their lives back together. Their quest: to rediscover their hope and purpose when everything had been stripped away from their lives. The description came to me from my father in a handwritten letter in March of 2020 as the global pandemic was bringing back long buried thoughts about the war. The Rediscovery of Hope and Purpose projects light on a course of action for civic and personal development. This book is unique in that it does not advocate for change. A moral compass of hope and purpose is alive within each person, but over time many people lose the ability to recognize this. This book helps you, the reader, rediscover the comfort and joy that come from living a life of hope and purpose through a call to rediscovery, not change. Written from the vantage point of a seasoned educator who is a former New York State Teacher of the Year and National Teachers Hall of Famer, this book contains explicit examples to guide readers by focusing on factors that can improve individuals and communities. The Rediscovery of Hope and Purpose challenges hopelessness by providing an uplifting experience. The book is designed to drive home a compelling message that hope and purpose are eternal fires ready to be rediscovered. It unlocks the shackles so many have clamped on hope allowing for a reawakening. Ten highly encaptivating interviews with inspiring people from all walks of life, intertwined with narratives, and history provide an investigation into social philosophy that promise the reader to think deeper and reflect stronger on the future. This book is based in a brand-new genre coined Investigative Social Philosophy. Contributors to this book include: World renown whittler, Chris Lubkemann; the first female Boston Marathon runner, Kathrine Switzer; the founder of Field of Dreams Uganda, Michael Warneke; globally recognized photographer, QT Luong; the last American homesteader, Ken Deardorff; Seinfeld writer and co-producer, Peter Mehlman; three-time NCAA National Champion Head Football Coach, Tom Osborne; billionaire philanthropist and founder of 5-Hour Energy, Manoj Bhargava; Harvard President, Lawrence Bacow; and 104-year old children's author, Beverly Cleary- most likely her final interview.