The Civically Engaged Reader is a diverse collection of short provocative readings on civic activity—edited by Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn and published by the Great Books Foundation.

Designed for service and volunteer groups, as well as for the classroom and the individual reader, The Civically Engaged Reader (click the title to read the table of contents) is a “ready-to-go” resource featuring:

• More than 40 provocative readings by a diverse group of authors ranging from Aristotle to Eggers, Maimonides to Morrison
• Introductory essays on associating, serving, giving, and leading
• Discussion questions and tips to help groups read and reflect on their civic activity

Visit our bookstore to order single copies of The Civically Engaged Reader. For group orders, call 1-800-222-5870 and ask for a customer service representative. To learn how to bring The Civically Engaged Reader to your group or organization today, contact Daniel Born or Don Whitfield at 1-800-222-5870.

What others are saying about The Civically Engaged Reader:

“We all know that reflection is a key component of effective service and civic engagement. This book is a must-have resource, a compendium of writing from diverse times and voices guaranteed to stimulate lively conversation and hard thinking."
—Elizabeth Hollander, executive director, Campus Compact

“This book is for anyone who has ever tossed a dime in a panhandler’s cup—or had one tossed in his own. It’s for anyone who has ever served at a soup kitchen, volunteered to bake cookies, tutored a child, or fought a war. Admittedly, it raises as many questions as it answers and complicates as much as it simplifies. But if you’ve ever considered the possibility of a better world, and reflected on how you might take part in such a place, this is the book to take along for the journey.”
—Billy Lombardo, Service Learning Program director at the Latin School of Chicago and author of The Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories

From the preface of The Civically Engaged Reader:

We have observed that civically engaged people want to think more deeply and to talk more comfortably with colleagues about the beliefs and opinions that inform their activity. . . . This kind of thinking and deliberative discussion is good for the civic activity in question; efforts to improve our communities and the world are strengthened when we reflect on what we are doing and why we are doing it. . . . Reading deepens reflection; reflection deepens action.  
—Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn, editors of The Civically Engaged Reader.

Learn more about Adam Davis, Elizabeth Lynn, and The Project on Civic Reflection.