The Call of Service

by Robert Coles

Book Overview

In this book, Coles explores the concept of idealism and why it necessary to the individual and society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395710847
• ISBN13: 9780395710845
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Reading this book is time well spent

This book is fantastic. Coles spent a large portion of his life living amongst, interviewing, studying, and writing about volunteer community servants and the people for whom they work. The first 3/4 or so of this book recounts some of his favorite stories from that portion of his life. It does a fine job of doing so - these stories are the kind of thing you can't put down. The last 1/4 or so of the book tries to draw morals and conclusions from the stories. This part of the book is interesting too, and well written, but not quite as good as the first part of the book. For one thing, Coles tries to draw large-scale conclusions from non-randomly picked anecdotal cases. But his conclusions are still very interesting, and the book as a whole is really astonishingly good.

Reawakening idealism

Some books make you feel good, some books make you feel rotten. This book reawakened my idealism and my interest in doing good in the world. Coles describes the elements of volunteering and how we choose the work in which we become engaged. He also describes how we become disillusioned - sometimes by ignoring the significance of the work that goes on among the volunteers, sometimes by hoping too much and knowing too little, sometimes by not looking at ourselves. But he also offers pictures out of his own life and experience, sharing personal reflections and insights. Coles describes concrete situations in many different kinds of volunteer activities, reporting carefully and without a lot of unnecessary analysis, what gets said, how people look, and when volunteer gestures lead or don't lead to success. His respect for the people he meets is inspiring, as is his openness for learning and reassessing his own value system. Not least important is that Colses is both a good writer and a gifted story teller.

The most insightful and thought provoking book of its field

Volunteerism has been my life. I am now in charge of community volunteers and students involved in service learning. I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the subject until I read this book. Many of my ideas where exploded and new, wonderful ideas and insights took their place.The book discusses problems in communicating with those we are tryig to help. It gives a wonderful discussion of the real meaning of mentoring, and who should really call themselves mentors. It is open and clear about the various reasons we all volunteer. It does not tell you how to run an agency or how to do your work. It simply open new doors that might make you a person who better serves the community. I feel everyone in the fields of volunteerism and community service should read this fabulous book.