Contemporary society is the product of the disintegration of more or less natural or familial groupings. People are afraid, uncertain – and shut themselves away. But they need companions, friends with whom they can share their lives, their visions and their ideals; in short they need community. Jean Vanier, founder of the world-famous l’Arche community for the mentally handicapped and their helpers, has written a unique book. This is no dry and systematic treatise, but rather a brilliant series of starting points for reflection on the nature and meaning of community. ‘Our communities should be signs of joy and celebration…If we are accepted with our limitations as well as our abilities, community gradually becomes a place of liberation…this terrible place can become one of life and growth.’