The Practice of Belonging
Six Lessons from Vibrant Communities to Combat Loneliness, Foster Diversity, and Cultivate Caring Relationships

Quotes

“Building sustainable justice in the world requires telescoping from the personal to the interpersonal to the systemic with such frequency it can feel impossible. What a gift that The Practice of Belonging helps us do exactly that in ways that become fluid and even joy filled instead of terrifying. Kentgen’s book put me in mind of Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s book Care Work, and . . . gives me hope for the possibility of communities that aren't only just but are also delightful.”
—Sandhya Jha, activist and author of Transforming Communities

“The Practice of Belonging is a uniquely powerful book. The author speaks profoundly of community's meaning and tells us where this possibility is occurring in the world right now . . . making the world we want to inhabit accessible to us. The insight of one chapter title, ‘The Vulnerable Help Us Shed Our Masks,’ is reason enough to embrace this book. There is a quiet and essentially unreported movement occurring in our local places, and this book and the way it is written hasten this along.”
—Peter Block, author of Community

“This book is a powerful master class in how to set up vibrant communities at a time when connecting with each other has never been more important. We have a choice about the cultures we build. The Practice of Belonging offers a first-of-its-kind road map to build cultures of belonging, inclusion, and support so that we thrive.”
—Bethany Klynn, organizational psychologist and president of Insight Leadership Consulting

“Given our current climate of political and social divide, The Practice of Belonging could not come at a more needed time. Dr. Kentgen explores how we can solve our crisis of belonging and heal our unprecedented social and emotional pain. While traveling across the country and meeting with people who shared their experiences of their healthy communities, she discovered six qualities that all vibrant communities share and invites us to use these same qualities to build our own shared spaces of healthy belonging.”
—Debra A. Harkins, professor of sociology and criminal justice at Suffolk University and author of Alongside Community

“In this passionate book about vibrant community, Kentgen takes the reader on an unforgettable tour of sanctuaries where mutual care and the commitment to a shared way of life are alive and thriving. Heartful, intelligent, and deeply inspiring, this journey to visit the front lines of the ‘belonging revolution’—and to meet the extraordinary people who are making it happen—offers hope and vision for a more communal future. A cri de coeur against the epidemic of loneliness overwhelming our nation. I highly recommend it.”
—Mark Matousek, author of Ethical Wisdom

“The Practice of Belonging is nourishment for the weary spirit. In a time of intensifying polarization, Dr. Kentgen’s book offers an accessible way to explore what it means to cultivate community and togetherness. Drawing on the collective expertise of vibrant communities across the United States, this book is a poignant reminder that relationships matter, and that we have the power to cultivate vibrancy in any community we belong to.”
—Kari Grain, PhD, author of Critical Hope