The Triumphs Of Joseph - Robert Woodson

Paying tribute to the courageous men and women who are battling to change the lives of residents in the poorest inner-city communities, Robert Woodson offers "an honest description of urban social decay, an assault on the poverty industry, and an uplifting vision for African Americans" (The Wall Street Journal).

A spiritual and moral freefall has brought fear and uncertainty throughout America. Using parallels between the biblical story of Joseph and today's urban workers, The Triumphs of Joseph offers an inspiring and informative investigation on the neighborhood healers of the inner city who exemplify the imagination, courage, and self-help qualities required to renew impoverished communities. Just as Joseph rose from slavery and prison to advise the pharaoh, author Robert Woodson believes that those working at the grassroots level provide the same support to the lives of drug addicts and ex-cons in the poorest neighborhoods across America. These "modern-day Josephs[forge] an effective internal, spiritual response to the spiritual and moral atrophy of our civil society" (Booklist) and push for a policy beyond racial and economic considerations towards a moral and spiritual revival.

Robert L. "Bob" Woodson has devoted his career to helping low-income people transcend their impoverished conditions. Born in Philadelphia on April 8, 1937, Woodson has used his own rise from poverty to assist him as the founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (NCNE). For his contributions, Woodson received a prestigious "Genius Grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 1990. He sits on the boards of the American Association of Enterprise Zones, the Commission on National and Community Service, and the Commonwealth Foundation. Woodson has also written extensively on issues of poverty and empowerment, includingThe Triumphs of Joseph: How Today's Community Healers are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods. Woodson and his wife, Ellen, live in Silver Spring, Maryland. They have three children.