Peter Westoby

At 57 years old, I recently felt the need to clear out my dusty and overwhelmed bookshelves. I removed 250 books over a weekend. Plenty of my community development books were rejected. Yet, this substantive book stayed. I will, of course, explain why – but the word “substantial” says a fair bit. In my supporting or mentoring role with some community development (CD) academics at Murdoch University, Australia, I am often asked some version of “what books should I be reading to get up to speed?” I’ve got an answer of three to five books, and this is one of them. Substantive, but with a breadth and depth that warrants reading. With those comments aside, I want to pay gratitude to the incredible work of the three editors and other contributors. You have all done a great service to the community that makes up this “practice.”