We read this book for a grad school class, and it was the best book I read as a grad student. Each chapter is organized into two parts, a theoretical treatment followed by an in-depth case study. Although it's a bit heady, the book is also extremely practical. The field of community building/organizing is obviously practice-oriented, but some solid theory has been needed for at least a generation. Other "macrosociologists," planners, and political economists have tried but fallen short of merging theory with practice in this important endeavor of community action. This book succeeds where others have failed, and it should be required reading for anyone in the community development, public health, or social work fields.