Charles MARSH, Shea TUTTLE, and Daniel P. RHODES (editors). Can I Get A Witness? Thirteen Peacemakers, Community Builders, and Agitators for Faith and Justice. Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019. pp. 385. $26.99 pb. ISBN 978-0-8028-7573-0. Reviewed by Kristen SENETAR, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63103.

This book tells the stories of thirteen individuals who used their religious convictions to fight for change within American society. From Cesar Chez to Dorothy Day, this book contains a wide variety of individuals who played influential roles in American social history. The editors of the book note that the chapters are not meant to provide cradle-to-grave biographies on the thirteen individuals of interest. Rather, the book serves as a storyteller who brings the individuals to life for the reader.

Can I Get a Witness? Thirteen Peacemakers, Community Builders, and Agitators for Faith and Justice shows readers how the thirteen individuals reflected and acted upon their own religious convictions to influence their work throughout their lifetime. The thirteen individuals were chosen by the editors because of the impact they had on American society and culture and the role religion played in the individual’s work.

This book is aimed toward anyone looking to learn more about individuals who impacted America through an exploration and expression of their religious convictions. Readers do not need any theological background in order to benefit from reading this book. This book would be a good starting point for individuals interested in learning more about the influencers of American culture and society.

In addition to an introduction and further reading section, the book is divided into thirteen chapters. Each chapter is written by a different author and covers one of the thirteen individuals of interest. The individuals of interest are Cesar Chavez, Howard Thurman, Yuri Kochiyama, Howard Kester, Ella Baker, Dorothy Day, John A. Ryan, William Stringfellow, Mahalia Jackson, Lucy Randolph Mason, Richard Twiss, Daniel Berrigan, and Mary Stella Simpson. Each individual had a mission, which is indicated in the subtitle of each chapter. These missions include farmworker justice, unjust imprisonment, earning a living wage, providing witness through music, and standing for the dignity of the American worker, among others.

Since a different author writes each chapter, no two chapters have the same structure. The chapter on Yuri Kochiyama, for example, begins by telling the story of how Kochiyama’s father, a first-generation Japanese American, was detained by the FBI less than 24 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was this experience of watching her father being taken from their home and dying shortly thereafter, which ignited a desire within Kochiyama to fight for change. Using a different approach, the chapter on Richard Twiss begins by providing the author’s first hand account of their time together shortly before Twiss’s unexpected death. Regardless of the approach, each chapter provides an engaging story that allows readers to connect with the content and learn about the individuals.

Can I Get A Witness? is a welcomed addition to the current literature. Each chapter in the book serves as a short story about an individual who was influential in American society and was influenced by their own religious convictions. Although one could argue that there have been many other individuals who have had influence on American society and culture, the thirteen individuals chosen for Can I Get A Witness? serve as a great starting point.