Forgiveness Confronts Race, Relationships, and the Social

'Forgiveness Confronts Race, Relationships, and the Social', Volume V of Vernon Press's The Philosophy of Forgiveness series, is an exercise in listening. Listening to others, and not just waiting for them to stop speaking, requires a willingness to recognize the worth of the other and to believe that what they say is worthy of consideration. Much like reading a book, one must strive to quiet the constant voice in one's head in order to hear and process the information communicated. Listening is not always easy, and it takes considerable practice, but it is one of the most effective means for developing understanding and growing as an intellectual and moral person. Literature dealing with forgiveness lacks many important voices, including those from First Peoples, African American, LatinX, and LGTBQ+ , and many others, and the authors of 'Forgiveness Confronts Race, Relationships, and the Social' begin the task of closing these gaps, discussing topics from folk and other social and political issues to racism, systems of oppression, and religion. The authors were asked to explore forgiveness from their own understandings of underrepresented aspects of forgiveness, and readers will hopefully be enlightened and inspired to make their own diverse voices of forgiveness heard, creating a true dialogue of diversity and wisdom.