Loving Life on the Margins: The Story of the Agape Community
An Alumna’s Book Review in Anticipation of Upcoming Stonehill Event
If you are looking for a handbook to hope and healing amidst the stress of everyday life, look no
further than Loving Life on the Margins: The Story of the Agape Community. This 315-page book,
written by husband and wife Brayton Shanley and Suzanne Belote Shanley, serves as both a memoir and
an action plan to combat seemingly overwhelming challenges facing our world today, from climate
change to racial injustice to gender inequality.
Loving Life on the Margins shares a chronological history of Agape, which the authors founded
as a nonviolent, sustainable, contemplative Catholic community sharing God’s unending love with people
of all ages, races, faiths, and identities. Illustrations and photographs sprinkled throughout the book add
visual understanding to Brayton’s and Suzanne’s story telling and allow readers to connect more deeply
with the various characters that make up Agape’s dynamic community. Brayton and Suzanne narrate
different sections, giving the book a conversational tone and inviting readers to interact with its themes in
a way that will make the unique journey of Agape’s founders relevant to readers’ own lives. At each
point in the text when the reader may wish to challenge the authors’ thought process, Brayton and
Suzanne anticipate just such questions. They directly acknowledge the readers’ thoughts and further
explain how their loving community offers a much-needed respite to the draining realities of modern
society while still taking action to positively change those realities.
Agape is not a place of hiding. It is a place of deep awareness and love that provide strength in
the fight against injustice. Loving Life on the Margins is proof of such, depicting Brayton’s and
Suzanne’s everyday choices to promote love in our world, from chasing woodchucks from their garden to
protesting nonviolently at Standing Rock. Brayton and Suzanne share cherished memories and dreams
accomplished that began with their distress during the Vietnam War and a promise of love and fidelity to
each other in marriage. They discuss the overwhelming joy that comes with reaching a goal to promote
peace; they also share shortcomings that they recognize in their own humanity as they attempt to make
divine love manifest on Earth. Their book is a call to tangible Catholic living – a living beyond the
sacraments and Church rituals that many young people have trouble connecting with. It raises important
questions about the best way to be present and lead loving, good, spiritual lives, including: why does
modern culture value violence, especially as a response to violence (the death penalty, or abortion, for
example); why are thoughtfulness and introspection so important for a loving, centered life; how do
modern systems and trends, such as the food system and consumerism, impact people, the environment,
American culture, and our world as a whole; what role does modern technology play in our lives, both
good and bad, as we seek meaning and love?
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