Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times

by Paul Rogat Loeb

These are indeed cynical times. But to hide behind the smugness of cynicism is a kind of self-imposed death sentence, explains writer and social commentator Paul Loeb. In fact, now is the ideal time for gathering all our strengths and wisdom as spiritual beings and applying ourselves to shaping a better world, he claims.

Are we talking social activism here? Well, yes. But before you cringe from images of shrill, humorless, burned out activists, keep in mind that Loeb is talking about a new kind of activism--an exciting, spiritual model for creating social change. We don't have to be pious or martyred saints (as he explains throughout one chapter), starving ourselves in the name of a cause or staging protests in freezing rain. We can be "good enough" activists, assuming the task of helping 10 people in need rather than taking on the globe. We can remember the power of storytelling when convincing an audience, rather than angrily spewing scary facts. We can replenish ourselves so that we do not burn out. We can emphasize themes such as community and forgiveness rather than separatism and blame.

This is a deeply spiritual book, but make no mistake: Loeb's writing, research, and integrity are as solid as they come. Soul of a Citizen may well become The Handbook for activism at the turn of the century. --Gail Hudson

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy, Activism, Social Justice, Self Help, Personal Development

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 1999

About the author

Paul Rogat Loeb is an American social and political activist, who has strongly fought for issues including social justice, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and civic involvement in American democracy. Loeb is a frequent public speaker and has written five books and numerous newspaper editorials.

Reviews

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"the best way to promote compassion and solidarity is not by appealing to some general notion of goodness, but by encouraging people to respond to specific human lives."

"The further we get into our causes, the more likely we are to believe that everyone shares our knowledge and assumptions, and that can be dangerous too. Often we armor ourselves with language, talking of hegemony and patriarchy, imperialism, and oppression, as if everyone assigns the same meaning to these words that we do, and as if everyone enjoys wallowing in rhetoric....our language can also exclude others who haven't learned the right words and feel less confident in their beliefs, and thus it can leave us more isolated from the rest of the world."


"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it - but all that had gone before" - Jocob Riis

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring book for people who are dissatisfied with the way things are in the world today but feel overwhelmed at the thought of doing anything. Loeb uses a lot of stories of ordinary, unheard-of citizens who have been instrumental in bringing about huge change, as well as not generally known information about the difficulties faced by people we're more familiar with, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Gandhi and others. He makes the point that change doesn't come about all at once or through the actions of just a few, but through collective efforts that may not even appear to bear fruit during an individual's lifetime but are adding up along the way. His "Ten Suggestions" are as follows:
1) Start where you are.
2) Take things step by step.
3) Build supportive community.
4) Be strategic.
5) Enlist the uninvolved.
6) Seek out unlikely allies.
7) Persevere.
8) Savor the journey.
9) Think large.
10) Listen to your heart.
My takeaway from this book was the same message that I've been getting everywhere recently: if I'm passionate about something I should start moving towards it and trust that things will fall into place along the way to help me achieve what I'm here for.

[Maggie Stohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of, if not the, most critical book I’ve ever read about public service and activism. An oldie (slightly outdated) but a goodie. Highly recommend!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ended up skimming it. Already convinced that change requires slow steps, prior organization, but that individual acts further it, there was nothing new in the book for me. People who question these positions would benefit from reading it.

[Aubree (mnreadingmama) Cheadle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of good points but it could have been about a third of the length. After a while, listing a million examples to prove the same point just wasn't that effective.

[Shadie Spoon · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give a book zero stars it would be this one. Absolutely terrible. I started this book with an open mind and after 170 pages I had to give up. I had to
Read this book for class and this book was just long and dreadful and constantly repeated itself. It was also far too religious for an education book in my opinion.

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it but..womp womp (I read this for class so that probably doesn’t help the rating)

[Jedidiah Preble · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it to fulfill a promise.
Reads like a self help book for social activism.
The author acknowledges he is left leaning (he's a communist) but that the book should be beneficial for everyone, nevertheless he writes as if his readers will agree with all his leftist positions (re homosexuality, abortion, etc.). Still the book does not try to push a specific agenda (although all examples have leftist goals as their points of departure) and instead tries to encourage political activism by recounting real life stories of activists who overcame struggles.
I couldn't figure out how the book or chapters were organized, titles and subsections did not seem to have any real relevance, so it felt like the book was dragging on.
But I did get something out of it: don't be cynical, find a community, dream, and persevere.

[Musa Jamshed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Giving a 4 star rating here, not because the quality of the writing is that great, but because the process of reading the book and internalizing certain messages was a 4 star experience.

There are a lot of valuable principles in this book, but just like a lot of nonfiction, the length is inflated by about 10x for no substantial reason. For that reason, I would recommend reading it over the course of a longer period of time, or at least no faster than one chapter at a time (and don't be afraid to skim over parts that are boring you, you're probably not missing much). Loeb uses a TON of examples to show what it means to live out his claims, which are cherrypicked but educational.

But besides those details, the important thing for me was just taking a dive into the word of civic engagement. As a reader, you should be trailing off and thinking about your own life as you turn the pages. It's honestly not even very important to pay attention to what you're reading. It's just a good exercise.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I read this book for a class and we skipped a few chapters.

It's really hard for me to give this book three stars. On one hand, it does send a powerful message. On the other hand, however, it gets incredibly boring and extremely repetitive. I feel like a lot of the chapters could be condensed together; Loeb seems too focused on overloading the readers with examples to prove his point.

When I read the first few chapters I was really excited, becuase Loeb's writing is incredibily easy to understand. As I continued, however, I just got bored because I knew the next chapter would be like the last.

[Lauren Bodyfelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to the revised version of “Soul of a Citizen,” I must say that it is an EXCELLENT read. This book has taught me a lot about the history of social justice, activism, and the hardships people have endured to fight for the right things. It is also very inspiring, with all of its stories of people overcoming insurmountable odds to achieve benevolent goals.
Chapter 1, titled “Making Our Lives Matter,” is a great start to this novel. It helps give you a good feel of the author’s writing style, and mainly focuses on how frustration can be a major driver in making people want change. In addition, this chapter showcases the importance of taking risks to fight for positive change, and does so by telling true stories of people who’ve done these things. As a result, this chapter is rather inspiring.
Another major chapter would be the third one, titled “One Step at a Time.” It helps to show that activism isn’t a big, stressful thing you do all at once, but rather a series of smaller actions that combine together into a much larger effect. The effects of burnout caused by attempting too much at once and/or not taking necessary breaks are also discussed, as they can be major hindrances to bringing about positive change.
Chapter 4, “The Cynical Smirk,” explains why modern society’s increasingly cynical views have caused a lot of harm. Cynicism encourages people to just ignore serious issues, as they believe that their attempts to fix them will be utterly futile. Overcoming cynicism can inspire many to become activists, as doing so can show them that you can still fight for the right things, even if nobody expects you to.
In the end, “Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time” is a very inspiring book with plenty of excellent real-life examples on how to make a change, and why it’s so important to make an effort to do so. I personally would recommend it for anyone sick of how bad our world has become, needs inspiration, or just wants to learn how to become an activist.

[Melissa Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soul of a Citizen awakens within us the desire and the ability to make our voices heard and our actions count. We can lead lives worthy of our convictions. The integrity of Mr. Loeb shines through every page.

I found the stories inspiring, and important. Our Founding Fathers were men who "acted up" and as citizens we need to understand our convictions, why we believe what we believe. This book helps us discern our own reasons to take ethical stands, and helps us to overcome the struggle as we do.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF; finished about 90%. This was a requirement for my Social Justice and Public policy course but it was a good read nonetheless. When I first started this book I found that the stories are inspiring and interesting, for that reason I would recommend it. However, about half way through, I found the author’s commentary a bit repetitive and drawn out which is why I would give it four stars.

[Merceda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the times of the last two years have one downtrodden and feeling remorse, this is an uplifting book to read. It is enlightening and offers stories of how ordinary people have risen above daily challenges and made a mark in society. The same affects that so many of us are accomplishing since we woke up on November 9, 2016 and became involved.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to imagine that this book was published in 1999. It’s especially relevant today. Want to change the world? Start small. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Even the greats had their difficulties. The biggest problem I had with this book was how repetitive it was.

[Jess Hoadley]

Read this book if you want to become a social activist. It did help adjust some of my world view but there's a comment near the begining that is dehumanizing to people with autism that left me not trusting the author. In the end I couldn't finish it.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read for the activist this day and age. Everything you need to know.

[Marilee C-R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and thought-provoking.

[Jennihess25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful, informative example of why being an engaged citizen is so very important to our world.

[Ollie]

*

[Hilary Snook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Liberal agenda... at its finest

[Norren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one as more than just a textbook required for school. Inspiring, to say the least.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very inspiring book. I really loved the stories of individuals working to change their communities or the lives of others.

[Chris Morris-lent · Rating 1 out of 5]

fucking gay

[Amanda Sola · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too religious/spiritual for my taste but I read it for a class so I didn't exactly get to choose.

[Ryleigh Kryska · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think of this book often since reading it.

[Katrina McCollough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my college corps class, some good lessons that I might draw from as my career develops

[David Winston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather tedious, somewhat typical self help.

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good points throughout the book. By the way, it’s a long book and it took me a while to read.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! I hate self-help, inspiration, or motivational books, but this one stuck with me. It is incredible helpful and inspiring for those who do social justice or community work. It reminds why I do the things I do and it motivated me to keep doing them and to do more.