Why do we seek to return to the past or rescue pieces of the past that may have value in the present? Why does nostalgia attach to an approach to the world, social rules, and material products that willfully rejected the past?Larry Bennett explores the complexities of nostalgia with considerations of the historic preservation of brutalist architecture, specifically Bertrand Goldberg’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago; the memoirs and recollections of early and mid-twentieth-cen...

Our traditional image of Chicago—as a gritty metropolis carved into ethnically defined enclaves where the game of machine politics overshadows its ends—is such a powerful shaper of the city's identity that many of its closest observers fail to notice that a new Chicago has emerged over the past two decades. Larry Bennett here tackles some of our more commonly held ideas about the Windy City—inherited from such icons as Theodore Dreiser, Carl Sandburg, Daniel Burnham, Robert Park, Sara Pare...

Shortly after his miraculous birth, made possible with help from the phoenix, Prince Ru-lan is captured by Su-ling, the evil enchantress, who plans to raise Ru-lan and use him to take over the kingdom. Several years later, the phoenix reminds the little boy of his real identity and he escapes from Su-ling's cottage with the help of his animal friends. Once their son is firmly ensconced in the palace, the emperor and empress undertake a daring plot to forever rid the kingdom of the threat o...

First Published in 1997. This book is the outcome of a small project that grew and grew. In the fall of 1990 the Chicago-based Policy Research Action Group (PRAG) commissioned the author to do a study of the Uptown area, to which he had moved in 1988.lMeanwhile, in conjunction with his university's Foreign Study Program, he spent the fall of 1991 in Sheffield, England.

This groundbreaking book shows how major shifts in federal policy are spurring local public housing authorities to demolish their high-rise, low-income developments, and replace them with affordable low-rise, mixed income communities. It focuses on Chicago, and that city's affordable housing crisis, but it provides analytical frameworks that can be applied to developments in every American city. "Where Are Poor People to Live?" provides valuable new empirical information on public housing,...

A voice from the margins. A rebellion written on park benches. A testament to the unbreakable human spirit.Our Voices in His Head is not a polished theory or a distant memoir. It is a living, breathing chronicle composed in homeless shelters, public libraries, and the stark silence of prison cells. Larry Bennett, a survivor of trauma, addiction, and systemic cruelty, offers a collection of speeches, poems, and profound reflections that dismantle the lies w...

God for Gays: A Yuma County RevelationIn 1970s Amarillo, Texas, there was nowhere for a questioning child to go with dangerous questions about sexuality and faith. Larry Bennett's raw, unflinching memoir chronicles a forty-year journey through domestic violence, addiction, incarceration, and family rejection—all while carrying a Jesus who never abandoned him, even when His supposed representatives did.From surviving twelve years of systematic abuse in a rel...

From Spiritual Warfare to Vision: A Survivor's Journey is the unflinching testimony of Larry Wayne Bennett—a gay man, survivor of abuse, homelessness, prison, and systemic neglect—who transforms his pain into a blueprint for revolutionary healing.This is not just a memoir of survival. It is a manifesto for those who have been told they don't belong, a vision for a world where trauma recovery is not fragmented or transactional, but integrated, spiritual, creative, and c...

Step through the glowing doorway and trek into an unforgettable jungle adventure with Little Larry!When Little Larry discovers a magical portal in his bedroom, he finds himself stepping into a spectacular, sun-drenched rainforest filled with twisting vines, towering trees, glowing mushrooms, colorful flowers, and curious jungle creatures.At first, the jungle feels exciting and full of wonder. Larry swings through the trees, spots a sleepy sloth, sees a bright toucan, and ex...

Step through the glowing doorway and dive into a magical underwater adventure with Little Larry!When Larry discovers a mysterious portal inside his bedroom, he never expects it to lead him straight into the deep blue sea. Suddenly, he is swimming among colorful fish, dancing seahorses, bright coral reefs, and strange ocean wonders. But Larry's adventure becomes even more exciting when he discovers an ancient sunken ship filled with treasure.Just when Larry thinks he has fou...

Step through the magical doorway and blast off with Little Larry on a hilarious outer space adventure!When Little Larry finds a mysterious doorway inside his bedroom wall, he opens it and discovers a sparkling world beyond anything he has ever seen. This time, the doorway leads straight into outer space, where a shiny red-and-white rocket is waiting just for him.With his rocket keys in hand, Larry zooms through the stars, passes a flying school bus full of strange alien cre...

How remunicipalization can be implemented to restructure urban governance.Across North America, Europe, and the Global South, public services such as water and energy that were once privatized have returned to public sector functions—an intriguing new development known as remunicipalization. Unwinding Privatization, edited by Alba Alexander, Larry Bennett, Evan McKenzie, and Michael Pagano, explores the sources, scale, and implications of transferring owne...