Her Book Self

Mercy Rising by Amber Robinson is true to its subtitle and involves Simple Ways to Practice Justice and Compassion. Aimed mostly at women, Robinson discusses practical ways of serving in everyday life including educating readers about organizations, opportunities, and websites that deal with combating poverty and other social justice issues, locally and internationally.

Drawing from her experiences as an advocate for Compassion International - a Christian child sponsorship organization - Robinson points out easy ways to help better the lives of others. Some of her suggestions seemed rather obvious (donating clothing) but others were new to me (searching websites that report on companies agreeing to stop human rights violations). Mercy Rising is a book that could be a valued resource to those taking the first steps towards justice around them as well as to those that have been making strides for years.

A friend of mine is fond of saying that to start serving others, people just need to get off their "buts" (But I'm too busy, But I don't have money, But I'm not good at that). Robinson takes this philosophy one step further and centers her book around the idea of each person starting with just "one thing". For anyone who's ever been overwhelmed at injustice in the world but doesn't think that one person can make a difference, Mercy Rising is a great place to look to have a change of heart and realize that even small steps can have a positive impact in the world.