Where do you go when the water rises?

For more than twenty years, John Kasich has sought the answer to this question and many of life's most fundamental challenges in an unlikely place: his twice-a-month lunches with an irreverent, thoughtful, and spirited circle of guys who are members of a Bible study group. Every other Monday over lunch at an Italian restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, Kasich and half a dozen friends use the stories of the Good Book as a launching pad to ask questions running the gamut from "Does God exist?" to "What do you do if faith fails you?" This group, in reaching for life's biggest mysteries while standing firmly rooted in the everyday, has become a cornerstone of Kasich's life, one to which he consistently turns when the waters threaten to rise.

"Every Other Monday" is an honest look at how to build faith and find solace, even during the most
heartbreaking circumstances, and offers a template for reconsidering how we make everyday choices as well as life-changing decisions. Along with rousing personal anecdotes and poignant memories, Kasich shares some of the group's frank discussions on the major themes found in the Bible--and in our daily lives--such as:

- CHARITY--How do you determine whether you're giving enough (i.e., "the fatted calf" vs. "the skinny calf") and why does it matter?

- JUSTICE--How do you deal with frustration when justice doesn't always happen here on earth?

- ENVY--How do you absorb the inevitable disappointment when someone else gets the good fortune that you know was meant for you?

- FORGIVENESS--What do you do when you encounter hurtful behavior?

- AMBITION--How do you balance the demands of work and the material world while still growing spiritually?
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"Every Other Monday" is a refreshing and forthright account of one group's search for answers and meaning. From rebuilding trust to understanding why we sometimes fail in matters of morality even when we know better, it lays out a practical path for finding strength and resilience through faith and friendship.

A modern-day Profiles in Courage about twenty people who are doing heroic things to improve the lives of their fellow Americans.

Now available in trade paperback, Courage Is Contagious is a remarkable document about everyday people helping to reshape America. Written by Congressman John Kasich, the book profiles twenty men and women from across the country who have, through their own courage, determination, and generous hearts, attempted to improve the lot of their fellow citizens. The values they exhibit, Congressman Kasich argues, are the very values we as a society need to encourage and support if we are to end our nation's divisiveness and fulfill its glorious promise. Among the people Kasich writes about are Cheryl Krueger, who started a successful cookie business that puts people ahead of profits by employing women who often wouldn't be given a chance by other companies; and Dr. Jack McConnell, who, shocked by the poverty outside his neighborhood, organized over one hundred retired doctors, nurses, and dentists to create a free medical clinic that now serves over ten thousand people in the Hilton Head area of South Carolina and has inspired similar volunteer programs nationwide.

A heartfelt and optomistic message in a world grown increasingly distrustful, Courage Is Contagious offers hope and inspiration to all who read it.