This book takes readers into the Mexican-majority neighborhoods of Santa Ana, California, a city once dubbed the hardest place to live in the U.S. Jonathan E. Calvillo explores the challenges faced by Mexican immigrants in this working-class city, highlighting how faith practices are central to social interactions and community building. How does faith shape residents' sense of ethnic identity? Drawing on five years of participant observation and in-depthinterviews, The Saints of Santa Ana offers a rich portrait of a fascinating American community.

How the actions and advocacy of diverse religious communities in the United States have supported democracy’s development during the past century Does religion benefit democracy? Robert Wuthnow says yes. In Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy, Wuthnow makes his case by moving beyond the focus on unifying values or narratives about culture wars and elections. Rather, he demonstrates that the beneficial contributions of religion are best understood through the lens of religious diversity. The religious composition of the United States comprises many groups, organizations, and individuals that vigorously, and sometimes aggressively, contend for what they believe to be good and true. Unwelcome as this contention can be, it is rarely extremist, violent, or autocratic. Instead, it brings alternative and innovative perspectives to the table, forcing debates about what it means to be a democracy. Wuthnow shows how American religious diversity works by closely investigating religious advocacy spanning the past century: during the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights movement, the debates about welfare reform, the recent struggles for immigrant rights and economic equality, and responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The engagement of religious groups in advocacy and counteradvocacy has sharpened arguments about authoritarianism, liberty of conscience, freedom of assembly, human dignity, citizens’ rights, equality, and public health. Wuthnow hones in on key principles of democratic governance and provides a hopeful yet realistic appraisal of what religion can and cannot achieve. At a time when many observers believe American democracy to be in dire need of revitalization, Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy illustrates how religious groups have contributed to this end and how they might continue to do so despite the many challenges faced by the nation.

Society is rife with inspirational teachers who have taken on seemingly insurmountable challenges and wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat. Such is the case in A Saint in the City, the touching memoir from Santa Ana High School wrestling coach, Scott Glabb. Glabb's lifestory highlights the rewards of true grit and determination. The students that Glabb helped to save were more than just behaviorally-challenged malcontents; many were from crime-laden backgrounds, and nearly all never saw a reason to hope for anything until he came along. In such situations, the temptation is always to put forth a minimal amount of effort before walking away, frustrated; Glabb, though, not only stared adversity directly in the face, he also pressed on in spite of it. As a result, his story stands out from so many others who tend to give in at the first sign of trouble, as his efforts remind us that the greatest victories are always the hardest fought. Uplifting, inspiring, and with a triumphant tone, A Saint in the City is a supremely encouraging read.

American society is rapidly secularizing–a radical departure from its historically high level of religiosity–and politics is a big part of the reason. Just as, forty years ago, the Religious Right arose as a new political movement, today secularism is gaining traction as a distinct and politically energized identity. This book examines the political causes and political consequences of this secular surge, drawing on a wealth of original data. The authors show that secular identity is in part a reaction to the Religious Right. However, while the political impact of secularism is profound, there may not yet be a Secular Left to counterbalance the Religious Right. Secularism has introduced new tensions within the Democratic Party while adding oxygen to political polarization between Democrats and Republicans. Still there may be opportunities to reach common ground if politicians seek to forge coalitions that encompass both secular and religious Americans.

From the cult of Saint Anne to the devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe, from Saint Anthony who competed with Christ for popularity in Brazil, to Jesuits who mixed freely with shamans that talked with the gods, this exciting new anthology examines the conversion of the colonized. The essays examine how New World spirits transformed into Old World saints - for example, the spirit of love transfigured into the Virgin Mary - as well as the implications of the canonization of the first American saint. Colonial Saints illustrates the complex and intimate connections among confessional life writing, canonization, and the practices of the Inquisition. There was a dynamic exchange involving local agendas, the courts in Spain and France, and, of course, Rome. This bold collection clearly shows the interplay between slavery and spirituality, conversion and control, and the links between the sacred and the political.

"San Francisco, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara. How did all these Spanish saints' names come to pepper the map of California? This handy reference guide features more than ninety entries on the Golden State's namesake saints. It includes fascinating historical information from Old California on the origins of each name, color illustrations of each saint from paintings and other artworks, and a synopsis of the saint's life."--Cover, p. [4].

"Artist-author J. Michael Walker wandered L.A.'s many streets named after saints, uncovering their transcendent beauty. Combining meticulous research with artistic inspiration, Walker depicts historical and contemporary Angelinos as their divine equivalents. Proud, defiant, and illuminative, these "street-saints" reveal their own unique versions of sublimity and, in doing so, challenge traditional notions of what it means to bless and blessed."--BOOK JACKET.