The New Social Worker's Social Work Book Club invites you to join us in reading Ogden Rogers' book, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work.
Written in the spirit of DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS, this book is built from the life of the days of a social worker.Ogden Rogers has written a collection of essays, poems, and other writings about life in social work, and about life in general. It is called BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES, & ENDS: SIDEWAYS STORIES ON THE ART & SOUL OF SOCIAL WORK.The book is filled with humor and with candid real-life stories of what it's like in the profession of social work.Here's a short excerpt from the book's Preface:
It’s my hope that some of the things here might make some moment in your thinking or feeling grow as a social worker. If they provoke a smile, or a tear, or a critical question, it’s worth it. Some of the pieces are experiences from my interior and may not seem immediately relevant to your life as a social worker. If you get bored, skip a piece, and read something else.... I wrote this book for colleagues, social work students and their teachers, and to be very honest, for myself. In the seasons of studying social work, students have to read a lot of textbooks and professional literature. I know, I’ve had to read a lot of those things, and they are good to read...but sometimes, it’s good to take a break and just read something that’s just a little off center and not in APA style! Something to read, well, just for the heck of reading.
This book of 99 stories reads easily, and the author tells tales that operate at many levels. The stories exemplify role modeling and transformational learning theories, and readers are encouraged to reflect and consider their own thoughts and reactions to each piece. It's written in an easy, non-linear style that is filled with wit, wisdom, and drama. In many ways, it is a book that looks at social work from the inside out, and seeks to provide the reader with opportunities for validation, surprise, critique, and reading enjoyment.
Ogden W. Rogers, Ph.D., LCSW, ACSW, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work at The University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has been a clinician, consultant, educator, and storyteller.
You can read more at the book's website. Also, several audio excerpts from the book are available on The New Social Worker site in the Extras/Audio section.
How You Can Participate
- Read the book, either on your own or with a group! This would be a great activity for a social work student group or other group of social workers, or a book club group.
- Please post your comments about the book below, or send a short review of the book to Linda Grobman, editor. We will post selected reviews of the book on this site.
- Linda would also love to receive a photo of you or your social work group with the book! Be sure to include a caption.
- Be creative! Send Linda a video, a poem, or another creative work about your thoughts on the book or on beginnings, middles, & ends in social work.
- Join The New Social Worker Book Club's Facebook group page. We will post announcements and discussion questions there.
- We hope to have an online chat with the author soon. Watch the book club Facebook group and this site for details.
Thanks for reading with us! Enjoy!