★ “Riveting . . . A fascinating inquest into the death of a church that doubles as a compassionate case study on the insufficiency of good intentions.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Eliza Griswold is a dazzling reporter: ever observant, wise, sympathetic, and honest. And in this spellbinding book, she not only immerses herself in a radical religious community but also reveals its fracturing in real time, raising questions about the nature of faith and justice and what binds us as Americans.” —David Grann, author of The Wager

“Circle of Hope is that rarest of books: An examination of the sacred and spiritual realm captured with humor, humanity, and style.” —Susan Orlean, author of On Animals

“Set against the backdrop of race, sexuality, and belief, Circle of Hope is a deeply captivating and sometimes troubling dive into a world of faith and frustrations often hidden by the political, antagonistic, and triumphalist projections of American Evangelicalism.” —Anthea Butler, author of White Evangelical Racism

“Lyrical, probing, and deeply reported, this is an extraordinary account of the fraught interplay of faith, community, and values in a moment of high jeopardy. With astonishingly unfettered access to her subjects, Griswold has produced a multigenerational group portrait that is compassionate yet unblinking and will resonate with anyone—even a heathen like me—who aspires to chart a righteous path through this messy, mixed-up world.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, author of Empire of Pain

“Circle of Hope is a rare and astonishing trek into the fractured soul of America, as told through the deeply reported and beautifully rendered story of one church’s crucible.” —Andrea Elliott, author of Invisible Child

“Eliza Griswold is a dazzling reporter: ever observant, wise, sympathetic, and honest. And in this spellbinding book, she not only immerses herself in a radical religious community but also reveals its fracturing in real time, raising questions about the nature of faith and justice and what binds us as Americans.” —David Grann, author of The Wager

“With patience, intelligence, and compassion, Eliza Griswold traces the history of a Christian community and its leadership struggling to remain faithful to a radical vision through times of immense stress. As vivid as any novel, it is more than just a chronicle of one network of congregations. It holds up a mirror to a society whose inherited fragmentations and injustices around gender, sexuality, race, and class can work destructively even among the most conscientious and generous. But it also quietly shows the durability of the basic commitments that its central characters try to honor, even in seasons of conflict. A sharply contemporary book, painfully honest, stubbornly hopeful.” —Rowan Williams, author of Passions of the Soul

“This is a lucid, tough, sad, heartening, and ultimately very wise book. At a time when American Christianity is obviously undergoing profound change, Eliza Griswold shines a generous but unsparing spotlight on a single church in crisis. Her book will be both beacon and warning to anyone invested in this change and to those experiencing similar reckonings in their own communities.” —Christian Wiman, author of Zero at the Bone

“In this haunting account of a community of faith and its unraveling, Eliza Griswold offers a stirring portrait of good intentions gone awry. A story of both truth and grace, Circle of Hope traces in devastating detail how justice and kindness give way to callous pursuits of power inside one progressive evangelical church. Yet even in the ruins of division and disillusionment, a chastened hope endures. The result is a searing reflection on the state of American religion, and on the challenges of holding together against the forces pulling us apart.” —Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne

“I devoured this book. What begins as the story of a church quickly becomes a portrait of the uncategorizable complexity of human beings. It made me examine the cost of centering my own self-regard, the need to see oneself as a ‘good person.’ It insists we look longer than a few seconds, deeper than a few inches. Eliza Griswold is a master of immersive journalism. I cannot recommend Circle of Hope enough.” —Nadia Bolz-Weber, author of Accidental Saints

“Circle of Hope is the kind of book that bears witness to its name. Eliza Griswold masterfully weaves together intimate portraits of real human beings in real places with real problems. What comes of their lives—as with anything that falls apart, crawling slowly toward putting itself back together—is a story that is both beautiful and haunting, that does justice to the reporter’s eye and the essayist’s heart, that is acquainted with the difficult parts of our humanity, that uses well the language that makes sense of it, in such a way that is gorgeous and illuminating. This book is an act of courage, vulnerability, and creativity—all things that make Griswold’s seasoned voice once again strike with strength.” —Dante Stewart, author of Shoutin’ in the Fire

“With the deftness and empathy that only Eliza Griswold can provide, Circle of Hope reminds readers that there is still a great liberal Protestant tradition in the United States. Yet, despite their lofty goals, these religious communities still face the same tragedy and tumult as any other organization. Griswold’s intimate portrait of real people trying to live out an authentic faith in a rapidly secularizing world should inspire us to continue to live up to our highest ideals, despite all the setbacks that come as a result.” —Ryan Burge, author of The Great Dechurching

“Millions of people have left the church because it is full of hypocrites. This basic fact of fallibility, frustrating as it can be, is why I have stayed. The church is a home for hypocrites like me. Eliza Griswold’s intimate portrait of one congregation introduces characters who are real enough to unveil something of the mystery of how a group of broken people who don’t live up to their ideals can, despite themselves, become good news.” —Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Revolution of Values