Books in brief Pennsylvania entrepreneur pens candid memoir about business, life, and giving
Life at C Level
By Henry L. Rosenberger (2021, 178 pp, $25.99 US, available through Amazon) In some circles, C level refers to the corporate suite for senior executives. For Henry Rosenberger, it refers to the grades he earned on report cards. As he points out in this informative and honest reflection on his life’s journey, the C students go on to own companies. They are the ones willing to take “the often enormous risks required to start a business.” Son of a successful dairy operator and eighth in a family of 10 children, Rosenberger overcame severe depression and the doubts of others to build a multi-million dollar enterprise. He credits the loyal and hardworking staff he surrounded himself with for contributing to the success of Rosenberger Cold Storage. When he sold the company in 1998, it had sales of $37 million and 350 employees. Rosenberger cared for those employees, distributing close to $10 million in profit sharing after the sale. Not all of his business investments were as successful. His admirable candor extends to a discussion of bad investments and regrets about time away from family. The book relates his commitment to the Mennonite church and related charities as well. Rosenberger recounts his work with both community and churchrelated charities over the decades. The Marketplace July August 2022
His explanation of how his thinking about philanthropy has evolved is one of many gifts in the book. After “retiring,” he and his wife Charlotte launched a grass-fed beef farm operation in Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania. They purchased another seven farms, preserving 550 acres so that land can only be used for agriculture.
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A prescription for moving beyond polarized positions on race
Beyond Racial Division: A unifying alternative to colorblindness and antiracism By George Yancey (InterVarsity Press, 2022, 224 pages $18US) Racial tension often evokes polarized responses. Some people take a posture of colorblindness, ignoring injustices and denying any need for societal change. Others are so passionate about the need for change that their antiracism message silences and sidelines potential allies. African-American academic George Yancey calls out flaws in both of these approaches. In Beyond Racial Division, he 22
makes a case for a third way. Yancey is a Baylor University professor who studies race/ethnicity and religion. He has written several books on racial issues. He argues that neither appeals to reason nor the use of power are likely to bring about lasting, mutually acceptable changes. That leaves moral suasion as the only viable option. That course of action “is about relationship building, not browbeating.” Yancey outlines the reality of institutional discrimination to discredit a colorblindness outlook. He also provides a persuasive case for why diversity training and antiracism work fails. Beyond Racial Division outlines academic and faith-based cases for Yancey’s proposed third way: mutual accountability. The author has no illusions that mutual accountability is a quick fix to ending centuries of injustices. He outlines the need to develop a collaborative conversations lifestyle. People need to be committed to seeking out interracial relationships, compromising where necessary, and overcoming our fears. Yancey writes hopefully of the possibility of building a movement. He says that providing support for people willing to walk this third path will be needed. This book is a valuable contribution to addressing intractable problems. It deserves a broad audience.
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