Free exam copies of Paul Loeb’s classic books on social change.
and help them realize the power of their actions.
What keeps us going when times get tough, as in the current historical moment? How have the leaders and unsung heroes of world-changing political movements persevered in the face of cynicism, fear, and seemingly overwhelming odds? In The Impossible Will Take a Little While, they tell us in their own words. In 2014, after adoption at hundreds of colleges, in every discipline and from first-year common readings to graduate seminars, editor Paul Rogat Loeb comprehensively updated this classic work, which now has 115,000 copies in print. Faculty have been saying it's particularly useful for students at risk of losing their hope in the possibility of change.
Along with 55 contributors, Loeb explores what it’s like to go up against Goliath—whether South African apartheid, the dictatorships of Mubarak’s Egypt or Communist Eastern Europe, racial or sexual prejudice in America, or the corporations driving escalating climate change. These stories don't sugarcoat the obstacles, but they inspire hope by showing what keeps us keeping on.
The Impossible creates a conversation among some of the most visionary and eloquent voices of our times, or any time, including: Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Václav Havel, Bill Moyers, Howard Zinn, Alice Walker, Mary Pipher, Jonathan Kozol, Diane Ackerman, Tony Kushner, Bill McKibben, Paul Hawken, Marian Wright Edelman, Cornel West, Terry Tempest Williams, Pablo Neruda, Audre Lorde, and Desmond Tutu. Loeb has added powerful new essays, worked with existing authors to update their contributions, and updated his own introductions (and online classroom study questions) to speak to a time when students need models for hope more than ever.
With 165,000 copies in print, Loeb’s Soul of a Citizen was comprehensively updated in 2010 with smaller subsequent revisions. This book examines how ordinary citizens can make their voices heard and how actions count in a time when we’re told neither matter. It looks at how people get involved in larger community issues and what stops them from getting involved; how they burn out in exhaustion or maintain their commitment for the long haul; how involvement can give them a powerful sense of connection and purpose, even when the road is difficult. Assigned on hundreds of campuses and in every discipline, Soul of a Citizen has helped students of all backgrounds and political perspectives learn to make a difference—and begin journeys of involvement that may last their entire lives.
Paul Rogat Loeb is also the author of Generation at the Crossroads, Hope in Hard Times, and Nuclear Culture. He appears regularly on the Huffington Post and on national radio and TV, and has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Christian Science Monitor. He founded the national nonpartisan Campus Election Engagement Project, a national non-partisan project that helps America’s colleges and universities get as many of their students as possible to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves, and turn out at the polls.
Paul Loeb has lectured at over 400 campuses and keynoted numerous academic conferences.
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“We had our First Year Seminar students read Soul of a Citizen’s new edition and then work in small-group service projects. Loeb’s book inspired them to come up with some wonderful ideas, from river clean-ups and educational efforts around female body image to working with local food banks and examining state tax policies. Soul of a Citizen’s stories really resonated with the students, demonstrating to them that you don’t have to be perfect to take a stand. We also had terrific conversations when we brought Loeb in to speak.
“The Impossible has long been the basic text for our Interdisciplinary Core Senior Seminar. Our students love this book and tell me it is one of the few texts they will keep after graduation. We've also used Soul of a Citizen in our Foundations of Civic Engagement course for many years. Paul Loeb is a household name on our campus."
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