Tenth of December Reading Guide
Explore the themes of systems and technology, tough ethical decisions, and class in this guide to George Saunder's Tenth of December. Part of the We the People Book Club, a year-long program contemplating America’s past and possibilities, this guide was created for individual and group use. Questions within each theme facilitate (1) your interpretation of the text, (2) your personal reflections inspired by your reading, and (3) practices for you to try that animate the book's democratic values.
January Practice: Seeing the Secret Goodness
This spiritual practice comes from Jack Kornfield in The Wise Heart.
We the People Book Club Guides
Supporting 12 months of reading and ways to practice your civic virtues. Use on your own, in groups, or sign up to join the online discussion. Find the complete reading list on the last page of any guide.
A Civic Sermon: Faith in Each Other
“Justice is not an outcome; it is a perpetual effort to set things right. Freedom is not the removal of all restraints on our appetites; it is the acceptance of restraints and of a duty to participate. Equality is not about pillaging and polluting as much as the next guy; it is about acting as if you were the next guy.” Thank you, Eric Liu, for these powerful reminders you share on Civic Saturdays!
Revising Systems to Serve The Common Good
The decay spreads over the State, and the sweet smell is a great sorrow on the land. Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. Men who have created new fruits in the world cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten. And the failure hangs over the state like a great sorrow.
—John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath
Feeling Heard, Seen, Useful in Community
The very essence of democracy is the absolute faith that while people must cooperate, the first function of democracy, its peculiar gift, is to develop each individual into everything that [one] might be. —Edwin H. Land
December Practice: Manners Matter
Democracy cannot flourish without civility, a.k.a. good manners. Such simple behaviors as saying “please” and “thank you” signal our respect for other people. Manners are important for any gathering when people are sharing views and trying to make decisions, including social media, where it’s far too easy to forget our manners or civility as our emotions and righteousness take over. In fact, since fall 2017 in “democracy conversations” that we and our partners have held, we’ve heard over and over how social media contributes to the growing divisions and incivility in our society.
Practicing Democracy with Your Faith Community
Eighteen ways your faith community can help strengthen the bonds within our democracy. Faith communities serve as pillars of light modeling civility and hospitality to the stranger; they boldly denounce injustice and offer programs to enhance the common good. Here are some ways your faith community can strengthen the bonds within our democracy.
Developed with Spirituality and Practice as part of the Practicing Democracy Project.
A Good Man Is Hard to Find Reading Guide
Explore the themes of human sin, redeeming grace, and the abundance of nature in this guide to Flannery O'Connor's short story collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Part of the We the People Book Club, a year-long program contemplating America’s past and possibilities, this guide was created for individual and group use. Questions within each theme facilitate (1) your interpretation of the text, (2) your personal reflections inspired by your reading, and (3) practices for you to try that animate the novel’s democratic values.
November Practice: Revising Systems to Serve the Common Good
The decay spreads over the State, and the sweet smell is a great sorrow on the land. Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. Men who have created new fruits in the world cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten. And the failure hangs over the state like a great sorrow. —John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath