Publishers Weekly
11/28/2022
Meeks (Living into God’s Dream), executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, challenges readers to better understand racial healing in this standout guide. American society has reached an inflection point as false racial narratives threaten groups’ ability to coexist, Meeks argues, and the work of racial healing is more pressing than ever. She encourages readers to look inward and ask: “Do really want to be well?” In the 48 brief meditations that follow, Meeks helps readers tackle this question by examining different aspects of racism and paths to healing. Weaving together history, spirituality, and current culture, Meeks touches on police brutality, gun violence, lynching, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Meditations discuss the abstract (how fear keeps racial divides in place) and the concrete (reparations), often concluding with questions (“What circumstances need to change in order for you to open your heart to someone in a group that differs from your?”) or calls to action (“Try being half a shade braver and say yes to all... invitations to engage in... healing work”). Meeks offers eye-opening lessons that are practical without being overly prescriptive; her focus on deep spiritual truths ensures readers can return to her words at various stages of their racial healing process. Readers will be challenged and changed by this moving work. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Readers will be challenged and changed by this moving work.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Reading The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning evokes the spirit of Howard Thurman, who reminded us that “There is something in every one of [us] that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in [ourselves].” In the searingly honest way that we have come to expect from Dr. Catherine Meeks, she calls us to discover the “sound of the genuine” that dwells within us beneath the mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual web of racism. This is where the journey toward a “beloved community” begins. And so, for all who truly want to get well from the pernicious disease that is racism, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning is a must-read."
—The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean, Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
"There is so much kindness in these pages that you may not notice at first how disruptive they are to your accustomed ways of thinking, being, and doing.Once you do notice, it is too late to escape. Like the angel who wrestled Jacob all night long, Catherine Meeks cares too much to let you go without a wound that can change your life, and a blessing to go with it. If you want to be well, hang in with her to the very end, because she is a healer and so is her book."
—Barbara Brown Taylor, Author of Learning to Walk in the Dark
"Dr. Catherine Meeks has gathered a collection of healing herbs for the soul in her meditations on racial healing. Her meditations both call and guide the reader on a journey of personal authenticity, each meditation taking us step by step on a journey of self-acceptance as we recognize our individual responsibility to heal the past and present impacts of racism in America. The meditations invite healing what is within us and what is around us towards what our humanity must become in order for the Earth itself to be healed. As spiritual medicine, Meeks’ meditations serve to help prepare us for what we must release and for the personal losses that we must face in the journey through a process of honest self-interrogation and truthful critique of society. Meeks is clear that racial healing is the work of a lifetime, requiring our thoughtful meditation and therapeutic response. Ultimately, only we can be the cure that we seek."
—The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, Vice President of the House of Deputies
"Words matter, and Dr. Meeks’ words matter in The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning. In these times of uncertainty and unrest we need these words of inspiration and truth-telling that reflect her life of devotion to things that matter. She brings wisdom and the front-line experience of her life’s journey to this thoughtful book."
—The Rev. Dr. Paul Smith, Author and Theologian, Building Beloved Communities in the Life of Rev. Dr. Paul Smith with Dr. Hildi Hendrickson
"Catherine Meeks is a very fine writer indeed and brings her talents to bear in a series of invitational meditations that are deeply rewarding to read. Her words can lead all of us to a deeper understanding of our actions, our speech; our better hopes and dreams and the precious sources from which they rise."
—David Whyte, Poet and Philosopher
"Catherine Meeks’ collection of meditations offers a refreshing approach to understanding the ministry of racial healing. Instead of answering the question “what shall we do?” Dr. Meeks invites us to contemplate the question “who shall I be?” in order to engage “who shall we become?” Her insightful, honest, and prophetic meditations exhort us into compassionate confrontation of the truths of racism through our own inner and steadfast spiritual work.This book should be required reading for all people of faith engaged in lifelong spiritual (trans)formation."
—Heidi Kim, Director of Talent and Culture at Propel Non-Profits
"Has the virus of racism made you sick? Do you want to be made well? Well, then you have some work to do. We all have some work to do; white individuals and people of color can be made well if only we are courageous enough to enter this journey. With each reflection and hard truth, Dr. Catherine Meeks invites us to go deeper into our souls and interrogate ourselves in order to reimagine what true racial healing can be. Sharing personal stories, she poses methodical questions that will lead us to reflect on our journey, looking deep at our wounds, joys, and resilience. This book is a must-read for anyone trying to heal the wounds of racial traumaand those who want to be better partners in the co-creation of a Beloved Community."
—The Reverend Nancy Aidé Frausto, Director of Latinx Studies, Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest
