There is renewed interest in the power and role of faith in America. We see candidates talking about it in campaigns. But how does it influence how public servants in the trenches think about their work?

For the past several years, John Calhoun has been on a cross-country quest to discover how faith motivates some of America's hardest-working public servants. The result? He selected 24 amazing people who pursue a range of innovative and ambitious plans to help their communities. Their accomplishments are impressive, deeply moving, and often surprising. The interviewees include Christians of every denomination, Muslims, Jews, and others, some of whom pray five times a day and some who are "not that religious."

Through the stories, Calhoun reveals how people sustain their public work by privately calling upon their spiritual beliefs. Readers will discover how they overcome doubt, fear and burnout. They learn about finding a calling, about concepts that most faith traditions share.

Come join New America's Religious Center Initiative for an audacious discussion of hope.