From São Paulo to Moscow, Kampala to Medellín, Ron Nikkel knows the anguish and hopelessness of people trapped in trouble.

In places of civil conflict, extreme poverty, systemic injustice, and inhumane imprisonment he has come face to face not only with tragedy and failure but great hope and courage. In Nepal, a prisoner sacrifices his meager ration of rice to feed his abandoned daughters. In a Pakistan slum, former prisoners and refugees build a place of worship from rocks and branches. What seems impossible and disastrous is not the end of these stories. People emerge, not only as survivors but as individuals who contribute to the greater good of their communities. A meditation on failure and hope, faith and forgiveness, violence and peace Hope in the Ruins will challenge your perspective and show you the real world of triumph in the face of human agony you can't-and shouldn't-look away from.