Maria Avila Bücher

Liana feels trapped in her marriage. Her husband, Peter, is distant and lacking in affection. She struggles with the desire to make her marriage work and thoughts of leaving it. Then she receives a string of anonymous letters, which have her dreaming, guessing, and hoping. Encouraged by the letter's contents, Liana finally decides to leave her marriage. Before she can confront Peter, she learns that he is terminally ill. Will she stay and care for him during his time of need, or will she follow her heart-and the anonymous letters-out of her marriage? In Hope in Letters, readers are offered an inside glimpse at both sides of Liana's and Peter's marriage. Love, tenderness, and hope mix with anger, fear, and desperation. Step into this novel and experience a range of emotions alongside the story's characters.

Through her personal journey from a factory worker to a community organizer, Maria Avila explores the transformative power of community organizing in fostering civic engagement within higher education. She argues that these practices can cultivate a culture that prioritizes civically engaged scholarship, ultimately enhancing the public and democratic mission of educational institutions. Her insights highlight the vital connection between grassroots activism and academic responsibility.

"This book is about how, by using community organizing, research in action, and narrative inquiry, five research projects were able to create more collaborative and participatory cultures in their academic institutions and in other non-academic settings."--