New Book of Interest: This is Where You Belong

<p>I am just finishing a pre-publication version of a forthcoming book by Melody Warnick titled “This is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live” (available June 21, 2016). Warnick is a fellow-blogger on the Community Engagement Learning Exchange, writing about all things community from the perspective of a “regular” citizen (i.e. not an academic and not a public or nonprofit professional). Warnick is a freelance journalist and has been published in many prominent magazines, but This is Where You Belong is her first book. And it is excellent. I will be writing a proper review of the book soon, but for now I’d like to simply recommend the book and point out why folks interested in community and economic development might find this book useful and inspiring.</p> <p></p> <p>This is Where You Belong is a fun read. Warnick’s prose is somewhat like a travelogue. We see the topic through her eyes and her experience. And while the book draws on her own research as well as the relevant research literature (and includes many endnotes to point readers to primary sources), it never gets bogged down in jargon. To the contrary, the narrative is fun, even breezy. But while it is a quick and entertaining read, it by no means is fluff. Warnick presents some very tangible (and research-based) lessons that should be of interest to individuals wanting to enjoy a greater sense of place or connection to community, but also to those who work in the community and economic development space [...]</p>