The Impossible Will Take a Little While

This anthology of poems, memoirs, and essays of social and spiritual significance are from an international roster of 50 thinkers, artists, and activists, including Vaclav Havel, Seamus Heaney, Mother Teresa, Arundhati Roy, Desmond Tutu, Marian Wright Edelman, and others. In "The Dark Years," Nelson Mandela reflects on his long imprisonment in South Africa, and an excerpt from Nadezhda Mandelstam's memoir, HOPE AGAINST HOPE, speaks eloquently of life and death under Stalin. Essays address topics such as the civil rights movement in America, environmental concerns and the women's movement, as well as the need to have faith and to participate in the struggle. A densely packed and rewarding collection.