Publishers Weekly
07/11/2022
Samuel, the founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, debuts with an innovative program for fostering community. She explores what it means to belong and argues that readers should strive to bring “principles of wholeness and connectedness into the realms of public policy, urban planning, education, healthcare, and community organizing.” The author identifies people, place, power, and purpose as the “four dimensions of belonging” and interviews a Mi’kmaq elder in Canada who notes that having a sense of place nurtures a feeling of responsibility toward one’s environment. Analyzing the theme of reciprocity in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s medieval poem about Parzival and the Grail quest, Samuel outlines the “three core principles” of compassion: accepting difference in others, fostering connectedness with those different from oneself, and holding “everyone’s life in high regard.” She examines cultures that have successfully created a sense of belonging and details her trip to the Japanese village of Ōgimi, the residents of which live remarkably long and healthy lives while possessing “a strong sense of connectedness, rootedness in the natural world, self-reliance, and ongoing life purpose.” The author’s interviews with a diverse roster of interlocutors, including Syrian refugee Nujeen Mustafa and London architect Dominic Richards, offer captivating profiles of what connection and community look like in action and effectively model the kind of cross-cultural relationships she encourages readers to develop. This compassionate journalistic treatise on building more inclusive communities hits the mark. (Sept.)
Quincy Jones
In On Belonging, my beloved goddaughter Kim Samuel shows how we can help build a world of love, respect, and trust. It’s a guide to how our whole society can operate on the principle of harmony. We can’t live without human connection. This book shows how we can all overcome the disconnection and reawaken the beauty. Read this book, y’awl!
Ian Goldin
On Belonging is an urgently needed response to the terrible isolation which has shattered our societies. Drawing on her extraordinarily rich tapestry of interviews and experiences, Kim Samuel’s highly accessible and engagingly written book offers profound insights and should be read by the widest possible audience.
Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post correspondent - Mary Jordan
On Belonging comes at the perfect time, when so many feel adrift and alone. Kim Samuel traveled the world to study the human need to belong and why so many don’t. Drawing on a stunning array of conversations, Samuel has written an important book that shows a path to a more connected future.
Annie Lennox
Kim Samuel dives deeply into one of the most complex issues of twenty-first-century human existence, the results of which can be discovered in this compelling book. On Belonging draws narratives from profound life experiences, timeless literature, and cutting-edge academic research. The key to finding potential solutions to so many of the social, ecological, economic, and political challenges we face will be revealed within these pages. Find inspiration and even hope right here!
Resurgence & Ecologist - Satish Kumar
Kim Samuel has dedicated her entire life to ending isolation. Now with her lucidly written new book, On Belonging, she is showing the world that the keys to happiness are not ego-driven isolation or artificially imposed divisions, but mutuality, reciprocity, and relationships. On Belonging is a book urgently needed to heal the wounds caused by isolation and separation. Either we swim together or we sink together. Kim Samuel’s voice is a voice of wisdom, love, and compassion, and this is one of the most important and timely books of the year.
executive director of Human Rights Watch - Kenneth Roth
On Belonging is a roadmap for escaping the isolation that has become so prevalent today. Kim Samuel shows the value of belonging and positions it at the center of nearly every facet of human life, from education to psychology, from caregiving to urban planning. This is an important book, both for describing a problem that is fundamental yet often neglected, and for proposing meaningful and effective solutions.
Graça Machel
In this important book, Kim Samuel explores how we can find greater emotional, intellectual, ecological, and spiritual connectedness. There’s no human being alive who does not have a wealth of gifts to give. On Belonging shows how we can help every person know their worth and share what they have to give. It reveals how we can realize our right to belong.
Lord Richard Layard
In this remarkable book, Kim Samuel shows how we can and must increase our sense of belonging. Surveying all aspects of our lives, she uses powerful evidence and stories to demonstrate how we can do this. An informative and touching book.
professor of anthropology, University of British Columbia - Wade Davis
With heart and soul, Kim Samuel makes the compelling case for a vision of human progress that’s both new and ancient. Our true well-being depends not on our wealth or technological sophistication but, rather, on our degree of shared belonging. Through powerful storytelling and analysis, this book helps us turn our focus to what really matters. On Belonging is an important book for the times in which we’re living.
Timothy Shriver
How do we overcome the division and despair that threaten to consume us? Kim Samuel offers a powerful answer: We need to build experiences and institutions of belonging. In this timely, warm, and persuasive book, she shares stories and solutions for reclaiming common purpose and authentic connection. On Belonging is essential reading for anyone who wants to imagine and build a more inclusive future.
From the Publisher
Samuel . . . debuts with an innovative program for fostering community . . . The author’s interviews with a diverse roster of interlocutors . . . offer captivating profiles of what connection and community look like in action and effectively model the kind of cross-cultural relationships she encourages readers to develop. This compassionate journalistic treatise on building more inclusive communities hits the mark.”
—Publishers Weekly
“How do we overcome the division and despair that threaten to consume us? Kim Samuel offers a powerful answer: We need to build experiences and institutions of belonging. In this timely, warm, and persuasive book, she shares stories and solutions for reclaiming common purpose and authentic connection. On Belonging is essential reading for anyone who wants to imagine and build a more inclusive future.”—Timothy Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics and cofounder of CASEL
“On Belonging comes at the perfect time, when so many feel adrift and alone. Kim Samuel traveled the world to study the human need to belong and why so many don’t. Drawing on a stunning array of conversations, Samuel has written an important book that shows a path to a more connected future.”—Mary Jordan, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post correspondent
“On Belonging is a roadmap for escaping the isolation that has become so prevalent today. Kim Samuel shows the value of belonging and positions it at the center of nearly every facet of human life, from education to psychology, from caregiving to urban planning. This is an important book, both for describing a problem that is fundamental yet often neglected, and for proposing meaningful and effective solutions.”—Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch
“In this important book, Kim Samuel explores how we can find greater emotional, intellectual, ecological, and spiritual connectedness. There’s no human being alive who does not have a wealth of gifts to give. On Belonging shows how we can help every person know their worth and share what they have to give. It reveals how we can realize our right to belong.”—Graça Machel, founder, Graça Machel Trust
“With heart and soul, Kim Samuel makes the compelling case for a vision of human progress that’s both new and ancient. Our true well-being depends not on our wealth or technological sophistication but, rather, on our degree of shared belonging. Through powerful storytelling and analysis, this book helps us turn our focus to what really matters. On Belonging is an important book for the times in which we’re living.”—Wade Davis, professor of anthropology, University of British Columbia
“Kim Samuel dives deeply into one of the most complex issues of twenty-first-century human existence, the results of which can be discovered in this compelling book. On Belonging draws narratives from profound life experiences, timeless literature, and cutting-edge academic research. The key to finding potential solutions to so many of the social, ecological, economic, and political challenges we face will be revealed within these pages. Find inspiration and even hope right here!”—Annie Lennox, singer-songwriter and global feminist activist
“Kim Samuel has dedicated her entire life to ending isolation. Now with her lucidly written new book, On Belonging, she is showing the world that the keys to happiness are not ego-driven isolation or artificially imposed divisions, but mutuality, reciprocity, and relationships. On Belonging is a book urgently needed to heal the wounds caused by isolation and separation. Either we swim together or we sink together. Kim Samuel’s voice is a voice of wisdom, love, and compassion, and this is one of the most important and timely books of the year.”—Satish Kumar, editor emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist
“In On Belonging, my beloved goddaughter Kim Samuel shows how we can help build a world of love, respect, and trust. It’s a guide to how our whole society can operate on the principle of harmony. We can’t live without human connection. This book shows how we can all overcome the disconnection and reawaken the beauty. Read this book, y’awl!”—Quincy Jones
“On Belonging is an urgently needed response to the terrible isolation which has shattered our societies. Drawing on her extraordinarily rich tapestry of interviews and experiences, Kim Samuel’s highly accessible and engagingly written book offers profound insights and should be read by the widest possible audience.”—Ian Goldin, professor of globalization and development, University of Oxford
“In this remarkable book, Kim Samuel shows how we can and must increase our sense of belonging. Surveying all aspects of our lives, she uses powerful evidence and stories to demonstrate how we can do this. An informative and touching book.”—Lord Richard Layard, professor and co-director, Well-Being Program, London School of Economics
FEBRUARY 2023 - AudioFile
In this rich examination of a fundamental but increasingly overlooked human need, Erica Sullivan narrates with a lithe and melodic pitch palette that adds notable beauty to the listening. Never competing with the author’s message, she provides warmth and relaxed pacing that add inviting softness to Kim Samuel’s perspectives and worldly wisdom. Samuel, a Canadian activist, offers stunning examples of how citizens in countries around the world are losing opportunities to connect with others. She empowers her ideas with memorable examples of people joining together to fix our degrading environment, improve governments, and support the universal quest for inclusion, purpose, and meaning. She illuminates the many ways people are isolated because of disabilities, race, and social status and offers many constructive solutions. T.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
