Joe Moakley S Journey

The first biography of the popular, long-serving congressman from South Boston

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Foreign Policy “Extraordinary . . . a profound reflection on one of the great paradoxes of American life—and a tribute to the astonishing indomitability of the human spirit.” —Patrick Radden Keefe “A searing, gut-wrenching, and masterfully reported account.” —Jill Lepore An epic, heartbreaking, and deeply reported history of the disastrous humanitarian crisis at the southern border told through the lives of the migrants forced to risk everything and the policymakers who determine their fate, by New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer Everyone who makes the journey faces an impossible choice. Hundreds of thousands of people who arrive every year at the US-Mexico border travel far from their homes. An overwhelming share of them come from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, although many migrants come from farther away. Some are fleeing persecution, others crime or hunger. Very often it will not be their first attempt to cross. They may have already been deported from the United States, but it remains their only hope for safety and prosperity. Their homes have become uninhabitable. They will take their chances. This vast and unremitting crisis did not spring up overnight. Indeed, as Blitzer dramatizes with forensic, unprecedented reporting, it is the result of decades of misguided policy and sweeping corruption. Brilliantly weaving the stories of Central Americans whose lives have been devastated by chronic political conflict and violence with those of American activists, government officials, and the politicians responsible for the country’s tragically tangled immigration policy, Blitzer reveals the full, layered picture for the first time. Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here is an odyssey of struggle and resilience. With astonishing nuance and detail, Blitzer tells an epic story about the people whose lives ebb and flow across the border, and in doing so, he delves into the heart of American life itself. This vital and remarkable story has shaped the nation’s turbulent politics and culture in countless ways—and will almost certainly determine its future.

Weasels in the workplace, colleagues in crisis, and bombastic bosses—we all know what it is like to have a “job from hell.” We also know that, despite our industriousness and integrity, many of us will someday have to choose between groceries, health care, and heating the apartment. The nuns who taught me in grade school said that all work, regardless of skills or status, was a ministry. By our helpfulness and kindness on the job, we contributed to the common good. Oh, to have those nuns in charge today! Our sense of social responsibility is eroding as the gap between the super-rich and everyone else grows, and as the rhetoric of leaders that is supposed to heal, deepen our humanity, and unite us is mean, shallow, and divisive. What are the spiritual to do in this material world, where social Darwinism and faith in God are joined at the hip? This book is about putting spirituality to work at work. It is about using spirituality to help us be in toxic places and not become toxic. It explores strategies for maintaining our humanity and moral compass, and it illuminates choices, prompts deep personal reflection, and chases demons from cubicles with humor.

The fifth in a new series, each one set in a U.S. metropolis, Peaceful Places: Boston leads the reader on an unexpected path to secret delights shared by its insider author. This new title in an unusual guidebook series is for everyone who yearns for a little peace and quiet amidst the urban hubbub. The book entices readers with 120 tranquil oases, in Boston and beyond. There are enchanting walks, historic sites, museums and galleries, outdoor habitats, parks and gardens, quiet tables, spiritual enclaves, inspiring vistas, and urban surprises, all described from the perspective of a local who knows where to find serenity, in both familiar and unexpected places.

"This book brings a fresh perspective on what may be the largest massacre in modern Latin American history. Many new additions are included, such as data from half a dozen field trips, discussions of reconstruction and the fight for justice, and the relation of the massacre to the region"--Provided by publisher.