"A testament to how an individual and a group can be innovative, resourceful and brave--and achieve the near-impossible." -- New York Times

"This elegantly written book reawakens us to the fullness of the human spirit." -- Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here

"Freedman's vivid, wonderfully affecting book. . . is journalism of the highest order, a compassionate account of a year in the life of an extraordinary man, a charismatic Brooklyn preacher named Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood, . . . . A sharply focused, triumphant hymn-shouting wonder of a book documenting the spiritual and worldly struggles of a people grappling with everyday realities that would test the convictions of a saint." -- Entertainment Weekly (A)

"A rich book . . . it makes you want to weep with rage." -- Chicago Tribune

"This biography, falling somewhere between journalism and poetry, is full of sweat and struggle." -- Melissa Fay Greene, Los Angeles Times

"The struggles and victories of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church, its pastor and its parishioners, is a story worth telling. The fact that it is so eloquently and captivatingly rendered makes Upon This Rock all the more a worthwhile read and inspiration." -- Black Enterprise

"At a time when most of the nation has written off the possibility of a revitalization of our inner-city neighborhoods, Upon This Rock, provides a route back to hope for all readers." -- Christian Science Monitor

"Vividly captures the story of a man and people who are transforming lives and communities every day." -- Reverend Jesse Jackson

"Brilliant." -- People

"An important book. . . . Its existence is an ostensive definition of the secular miracles we need to discover if we are to survive as a nation of honor." -- Boston Globe