{"title":"Vaneesa Cook","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"spiritual-socialists-book-vaneesa-cook-9780812251654","title":"Spiritual Socialists","description":"Refuting the common perception that the American left has a religion problem, Vaneesa Cook highlights an important but overlooked intellectual and political tradition that she calls \"spiritual socialism.\" Spiritual socialists emphasized the social side of socialism and believed the most basic expression of religious values-caring for the sick, tired, hungry, and exploited members of one's community-created a firm footing for society. Their unorthodox perspective on the spiritual and cultural meaning of socialist principles helped make leftist thought more palatable to Americans, who associated socialism with Soviet atheism and autocracy. In this way, spiritual socialism continually put pressure on liberals, conservatives, and Marxists to address the essential connection between morality and social justice.  Cook tells her story through an eclectic group of activists whose lives and works span the twentieth century. Sherwood Eddy, A. J. Muste, Myles Horton, Dorothy Day, Henry Wallace, Pauli Murray, Staughton Lynd, and Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke and wrote publicly about the connection between religious values and socialism. Equality, cooperation, and peace, they argued, would not develop overnight, and a more humane society would never emerge through top-down legislation. Instead, they believed that the process of their vision of the world had to happen in homes, villages, and cities, from the bottom up.  By insisting that people start treating each other better in everyday life, spiritual socialists transformed radical activism from projects of political policy-making to grass-roots organizing. For Cook, contemporary public figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Pope Francis, Reverend William Barber, and Cornel West are part of a long-standing tradition that exemplifies how non-Communist socialism has gained traction in American politics.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49734658162961,"sku":"NGR9780812251654","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50131350454545,"sku":"CIN0812251652G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51008001835281,"sku":"NIN9780812251654","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52635484160273,"sku":"GOR014573132","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0812251652.jpg?v=1752317560"},{"product_id":"spiritual-socialists-book-vaneesa-cook-9781512824452","title":"Spiritual Socialists","description":"Refuting the common perception that the American left has a religion problem, Vaneesa Cook highlights an important but overlooked intellectual and political tradition that she calls \"spiritual socialism.\" Spiritual socialists emphasized the social side of socialism and believed the most basic expression of religious values—caring for the sick, tired, hungry, and exploited members of one's community—created a firm footing for society. Their unorthodox perspective on the spiritual and cultural meaning of socialist principles helped make leftist thought more palatable to Americans, who associated socialism with Soviet atheism and autocracy. In this way, spiritual socialism continually put pressure on liberals, conservatives, and Marxists to address the essential connection between morality and social justice.  Cook tells her story through an eclectic group of activists whose lives and works span the twentieth century. Sherwood Eddy, A. J. Muste, Myles Horton, Dorothy Day, Henry Wallace, Pauli Murray, Staughton Lynd, and Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke and wrote publicly about the connection between religious values and socialism. Equality, cooperation, and peace, they argued, would not develop overnight, and a more humane society would never emerge through top-down legislation. Instead, they believed that the process of their vision of the world had to happen in homes, villages, and cities, from the bottom up.  By insisting that people start treating each other better in everyday life, spiritual socialists transformed radical activism from projects of political policy-making to grass-roots organizing. For Cook, contemporary public figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Pope Francis, Reverend William Barber, and Cornel West are part of a long-standing tradition that exemplifies how non-Communist socialism has gained traction in American politics.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51032434278673,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51032437326097,"sku":"NIN9781512824452","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1512824453.jpg?v=1763222819"},{"product_id":"empire-and-liberty-book-vaneesa-cook-9780807019689","title":"Empire and Liberty","description":"\u003cb\u003eA sweeping cultural history of two iconic landmarks that reflect the spirit, character, and values of the US--the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty--and the role they play in shaping American culture, US history, and international relations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eEmpire and Liberty\u003c\/i\u003e, historian Dr. Vaneesa Cook explores how the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty have served as lightning rods for debates about the irreconcilable tensions between empire and liberty that have existed since American independence, defining the contours of American identity.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The two landmarks, typically considered separately not comparatively, reflect much about the struggle of American identity. When studied in tandem, it becomes clear that they represent touchpoints for debates over ideas and ideals about who Americans are and what they want.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEmpire and Liberty\u003c\/i\u003e raises questions such as:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - How could women embrace a Statue of Liberty that was erected before they had the right to vote?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - How could African Americans believe in a nation dedicated to liberty that deliberately left them out?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - How much freedom could immigrants feel while stuck in low-wage jobs, facing discrimination and racism? How much could they appreciate the benefits of empire when they rarely reaped its fruits?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Cook illuminates how this story of two tied landmarks is essentially about the American people and their experiences--how they construed the structures as symbols of empire and liberty and how they imbued the structures with spirit and character.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53116155560209,"sku":"NGR9780807019689","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53590543761681,"sku":"NIN9780807019689","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780807019689.jpg?v=1771502576"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-vaneesa-cook.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}