17-4-0466

Mitchell, Ella Pearson, and Davis, Valerie Bridgeman, eds. Those

Preaching Women: A Multicultural Collection. Valley Forge, Pa.:
Judson Press, 2008. 192 pp. Foreword by Katie G. Cannon. ISBN
978-0-8170-1537-4, $16.00 (pb).
Far from a traditional book of sermons, this life-changing volume is composed by a collaboration of multicultural women from
all walks of life as well as an array of denominations ranging from
African Methodist Episcopal to United Church of Christ. Co-edited by Mitchell, who edited the previous volumes of Those Preaching
Women, this volume continues to impact readers with sermons from
dynamic women of God. The sermons included are excerpts of full
sermons preached in the past few years at church services, meetings,
and womens conferences across the United States. Irrespective of
the preachers race, each sermon is significant in and of itself as each
individual woman has shared her passionate thoughts and a range
of experiences.
Each chapter begins with the scripture of the text and ends with
detailed information regarding the sermon. Emotional but nevertheless powerful, each engaging sermon provides readers with thoughtful reflections and conclusions that are intertwined with excitement
and full of encouragement, sometimes all in the same sermon. The
richness and variety of these comforting sermons are captivating,
and the timely perspective will inspire and transform ones life journey with renewed energy. One will come away from reading these
sermons a far better person but perhaps with a tint of jealousy at
not being present during the actual sermons. The sermons are sure
to be read over and over by laymen as well as pastors, male or female. With the increasing number of women pastors, bishops, and
preachers, readers will find this extensive collection a useful tool for
anyone who wants to spread and share the gospel. Recommended.
Ida D. McGhee
West Kingston, R.I.

REVIEWS

17-4-0467
Niebuhr, Gustav. Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America. New York: Penguin, 2008. 208 pp. ISBN
978-0-670-01956-4, $25.95.

68

The United States is the most religiously diverse country in the

world and perhaps in history. Within this multicultural society,
there is a growing movement of cooperation and understanding
among the leaders and adherents of very diverse faiths. The story
and meaning of this movement is the subject of Niebuhrs insightful and timely book. Niebuhr, a member of a renowned family of
religious scholars and theologians, is a professor of religion at Syracuse University and served many years as a religion reporter for the
New York Times, Washington Post, and other American newspapers.
His purpose in Beyond Tolerance is to illustrate how some individuals and groups build networks that cross religious and cultural
boundaries to achieve understanding in an era marked by religious
differences and violence. Niebuhr recounts stories of communities
coming together to protect Islamic worship centers from extremists reacting to the 9/11 attacks. He notes a story of the destruction
of a Sikh house of worship in Central New York in the mistaken
belief that it was an Islamic center. In this case, a community came
together to make restitution.
MULTICULTURAL REVIEW | WINTER 2008

Niebuhr relates the development of the World Parliament of Religions, the postVatican II ecumenical movement, and the long history of dialogue between American Christian and Jewish communities as important efforts in creating understanding among churches
and religions. The point Niebuhrs stories and historical accounts
makes is that in a society of great religious diversity toleration alone
is insufficient. Americans have and must continue to reach beyond
toleration to communication, acceptance, and understanding.
The book includes extensive notes and a bibliography. It is highly
recommended for both academic and public libraries.
William J. Kanalley
Siena College, Loudonville, N.Y.

Education
17-4-0468
Ayers, William; Ladson-Billings, Gloria; Michie, Gregory; and
Noguera, Pedro A., eds. City Kids, City Schools: More Reports from
the Front Row. New York: The New Press, 2008. 384 pp. Foreword
by Ruby Dee. Afterword by Jeff Chang. ISBN 978-1-59558-338-3,
$24.95 (pb).
City Kids, City Schools is a book of essays, commentaries, poems,
and even an excerpt from a novelall addressing the state of affairs
of children, parents, teachers, and school in cities across the United
States.
With so many contributing authors, it is impossible to highlight
the long list of what they all had to say. However, two significant
points command attention. First, through the prolonged societal failings in the United States, our urban youth somehow have become
the scapegoats in various ways to those failings. Indeed, our youth
deserve better than the run-down buildings, poor quality educators,
and other obstacles they face every day. They have been failed. That
failure is not their fault. To counterbalance this negative outlook is a
positive second themethe fact that teachers can make a difference
in the lives of children. Not that they are there, as the contributing author Pedro A. Noguera writes, to save the oppressed, but
through acts of compassion and solidarity it is possible to work with
them to find ways to transform the circumstances under which they
live. In all such books, hope springs eternal.
The editors/authors chose a wide array of contributors, with perspectives, experiences, and writing styles to appeal to an equally wide
range of readers, including educators at all levels, parents, and young
people. In all, this is an informative collection.
Henry C. Griffith, Sr.
Dublin (Ohio) City Schools
17-4-0469
Joshee, Reva, and Johnson, Lauri, eds. Multicultural Education Policies in Canada and the United States. Vancouver: Univ. of British
Columbia Press, 2008. 272 pp. ISBN 978-0-7748-1325-9, $85.00
(cl); 978-0-7748-1326-6, $32.95 (pb).
The current dominant ideology guiding educational policy development is grounded in a neoliberal approach that sustains existing
inequalities based on gender, race, and class. The authors discuss the
benefits of engaging in cross-border policy dialogue for the purpose