cover image Signs of Hope: In Praise of Ordinary Heroes

Signs of Hope: In Praise of Ordinary Heroes

. Pushcart Press, $25 (253pp) ISBN 978-1-888889-20-8

Locked away in the fortresses of what we believe to be our unique experiences, we've made way for a ruinous denial of ""our deep and common humanity,"" according to Wilson, publisher of the Brooklyn-based magazine Wooden Boat. Seeking to address this ""sense of separateness,"" he launched Hope magazine in 1996 and began publishing stories by and about people who have worked to ""make the world a better place."" Culled from the journal, these 34 selections add up to a various, somewhat incoherent sampler of reflections on saving the world. One writer contemplates the erratic path of grieving that she carved out after the death of her husband; another tells of the abusive marriage that she lived in for years, taking a hard look at the peculiar brand of ""faith"" that kept her there. Mixed among these weighty and sorrowful tales, there is also a rousing speech about the problems inherent in the education system, a jaunty musing on the current state of lawyering and a paean to the restorative powers of ""Nick at Nite""--step one in the off-kilter 12-step program that piloted a writer through depression. One of the strongest pieces comes from Wilson himself, recording the healing process that, through a victim-offender mediation program, brought a mother to broker peace with the man who murdered her son. Wilson is unswerving in depicting the anger, pain and guilt that, by way of this unlikely connection, gave way to glints of healing, forgiveness and, yes, of hope. (June)