Book Review: From Longing to Belonging

Summary:
An approach to inclusion of people with disabilities and mental health conditions for faith-based organizations.

Is it insightful?  5 Stars 
Great perspective on what inclusion means and how it’s comprised of both a Structure of Inclusion (activities and actions that foster inclusion) and Spirit of Belonging (connections and relationships with people which make all feel valued members of a community).  While there is some specific applicability to faith-based organizations, many of the concepts apply to any organization.

Is it creative?   5 Stars
Uses lots of stories to underscore key points, including stories about the author’s son who is a person with Attention Deficit Disorder and Aperger Syndrome. Book makes great use of sample forms and assessment questions to help bridge the gap from theoretical to practical application.

Is the well written? 3 Stars
Read in about three hours. Book not at all adapted for kindle reading. Words hyphenated in paperback, i.e. accomplish-ments, left hyphenated in kindle version even though there was no line break requiring hyphenation. No page break or hyperlinked chapters. Book references charts on specific page numbers (which don’t apply to kindle) or references charts that don’t exist. Book also references a workbook however the workbook doesn’t exist on Amazon nor is there a hyperlink from the kindle book to purchase the workbook. Lost opportunity to cross-sell the workbook.

Is it a page turner? 3 Stars
Good interesting facts in the book, but other than in the first chapter where the author talks about her son any trace of a writer’s voice is absent. As the book went on it became more and more a dry read.

Overall Rating:  4 Stars