Here are eighteen compelling stories from the lives of some of the nineteenth-century Transcendentalists and reformers who played key roles in Unitarian Universalist history. Each story is preceded by introductory material to provide context, and followed by quotations that give a fuller picture of the life and work of the subject. Supplementary materials make each story part of a complete program, including discussion questions suitable for small groups, activities for congregations and families, and suggestions for ways to apply the wisdom from each historical figure's story to issues and challenges in today's world. Ideal for adult religious education, congregational worship, small group ministry, Coming of Age groups, multigenerational gatherings or family use.

Listen to an interview with editor Gail Forsyth-Vail

Praise for Stirring the Nation's Heart

"The names are familiar from history-Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, Dix, Peabody, Brown, Alcott. Yet Polly Peterson works a not-so-small miracle-she makes them come alive. In Stirring The Nation's Heart these women and men who challenged the religious and cultural institutions of their day are at it again-confronting us, our assumptions and status quo. Thank you Polly, and welcome back you old heretics and firebrands! We've missed you."-Erik Walker Wikstrom, worship and music resources director, Unitarian Universalist Association

I have always loved stories, especially true stories of those who lived before us, whose lives shaped our world. But Peterson's book is so much more than a collection of inspiring biographies! Each person's story is set in relation to others, is given life by their own words or the words of others who knew them. And then she leads us into a deeper quest, to explore the ways in which we ourselves, in our families and in our churches, can carry on the transformative, soul-shaping work of our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors in our own time."-Ruth Ellen Gibson, retired, Minister of Religious Education