Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future

by John Kasich

Discover the antidote to cynicism and despair in this dynamic, revelatory, hope-inducing exploration of the extraordinary work and extraordinary people who are transforming communities around the country--motivated by faith.

The mother of a man with autism manages a network of group homes through her local Greek Orthodox congregation. The director of an Islamic cultural center hosts a national interfaith conference to foster better relationships with the Jewish community. A student counselor starts a free immigration services program through her church. Sometimes we forget that good is not only happening in America, it is flourishing--in the fertile soil of our churches, synagogues, and mosques.

Few people are better poised to speak to the value of religious institutions in civic life than former Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich, who is both a public servant and a man of faith. In Heaven Help Us, Kasich reminds us through gripping stories that faith communities are vital to healthy communities and our nation.

Genres: Faith, Nonfiction, Spirituality

240 pages, Hardcover

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

John Richard Kasich Jr. is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the presidential nomination in 2000 and 2016.
Kasich was born and grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and moved to Ohio in 1970 to attend college. After a single term in the Ohio Senate, he served nine terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 12th congressional district. His tenure in the House included 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee and six years as chair of the House Budget Committee. Kasich was a key figure in the passage of both 1996 welfare reform legislation and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Kasich decided not to run for re-election in 2000 and ran for president instead. He withdrew from the race before the Republican primaries.
After leaving Congress, Kasich hosted Heartland with John Kasich on Fox News from 2001 to 2007 and served as managing director of the Lehman Brothers office in Columbus, Ohio. He ran for governor of Ohio in 2010, defeating Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland. He was re-elected in 2014, defeating Democratic challenger Ed FitzGerald by 30 percentage points. Kasich was term-limited and could not seek a third gubernatorial term in 2018; he was succeeded by fellow Republican Mike DeWine.
Kasich ran for president again in 2016, finishing in fourth place in the Republican primaries behind Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio. He won the primary in his home state of Ohio and finished second in New Hampshire. Kasich declined to support Trump as the Republican presidential nominee and did not attend the 2016 Republican National Convention, which was held in Ohio. From 2019 to 2023, Kasich was a CNN contributor. Since March 2023, he has been an analyst on NBC News. Kasich is known as one of Trump's most prominent critics within the Republican Party, and endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for president in a speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave it four stars but it’s really a 3-1/2 star book. Decent examples of faith-based initiatives, but I found it lacking “punch” in the writing style.

[Patricia Shamansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading “Heaven Help Us” How Faith Communities Inspire HOPE, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future. John sprinkled some of the contents of this book just in the title! This book was inspiring to me, as we are living in a highly negative, agitated, moody, not my job society and have been for the past five years. This is a breath of fresh air and truly a remarkable read with so many uplifting stories of people helping people. We all need to get back to being kind and leaning in on our faith. Each one of us can make a difference, no matter how small or how big, right in our own backyard.

[Kimberly Crist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished reading this book that I had won and I really enjoyed it. I liked how the book has various stories about how people through the years have selflessly done extraordinary things to help communities and offer help to those in need. I found it really inspiring and by reading it I think that many people can even be inspired to do what they can do to help their communities and neighbors that may need assistance. Reading about stories where people put aside differences for the greater good is a really great way to get our minds thinking of ways we could change the world for the better with Gods help.

[Joan Thieszen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heaven Help Us is an inspiring collection of uplifting stories that show the best of humans; treating others as humans, using compassion, building community, illustrating quiet heroism, and persevering in the toughest of times. Showing that we can all succeed when we help each other. That faith and congregation can be an immersive part of community. How each one of us can make a difference, in small yet impactful ways, right in our own backyards/communities. I needed this hopeful read right now, given our country's current climate and dysfunction.

[Sydney Tooth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. I really like John Kasich and I really like what he's trying to do in this book. The stories he told were inspirational and I was encouraged by his call for people not to dismiss organised religion and to pay attention to the good being done by those communities. I think this could be a helpful way in for people skeptical of religion. It was a somewhat slow book at points and not the most engaging storytelling. sometimes the analysis fell flat and was a bit shallow. but enjoyable overall.

[Jessi M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually won a copy of this book through Little Free Library book stewards book giveaway. It is a refreshing read, with many stories of people, in their pain, or down and out. There are so many different, yet similar stories of people making a difference and helping others. I also have a new understanding on a faith mentioned that gets a bad rap. Thank you Mr. Kasich for this enlightening book!

[Aaron Crowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In such a dark time in our history it Is fantastic to read about some of the stories of people making a difference in the lives of so many people. From their own struggles to using that and building community and making a difference. I’m so glad for this book. It gives me hope for a brighter future and that maybe I’m not so alone in this world.

[Elise Noorda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good examples of how the social safety net is largely built on faith communities - something I'm passionate about.
Kasich told us a few too many times why he wrote this book, but I'm glad he wrote it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely full of mustard-seed stories! I love how he focuses on the extraordinary things that ordinary people do and the strength of faith.

[Rebecca Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are lovely and inspiring stories. A couple of times I needed to have Kleenex handy.

[John Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid collection of essays describing a variety of initiatives across the US and collectively making the case that faith communities remain important to American society as forces for good.

[Ralphie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasich chose some inspirational people to illustrate his strong belief that anyone can do great things through faith.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things to impact our world, based out of their faith communities

[Roger Smitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some pages are difficult. But, the book has a powerful theme on the words. A good book for getting a group of people who book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories of people working to improve their communities, motivated by their faith.