The inspiring story of the worldwide Community of the Cross of Nails, which began in the ashes of the blitz-destroyed Coventry Cathedral in 1940, after a local vicar bound three surviving medieval nails together to form a cross, and the Cathedral’s Provost, Richard Howard, had the words ‘Father, forgive’ engraved on the walls of the ruined chancel in 1948. The story is told memorably here by a German Lutheran pastor / theologian who served in Coventry between 2002 and 2006 as Co-ordinator of the community. Coventry Cathedral stands out, of course, for its continuing work of reconciliation, and is known to many through its Litany of Reconciliation that is prayed every week. This book’s fifteen examples of Cross of Nails Centres around the world make compelling reading. That can only be a sample, as there are now more than 160 centres, made up of different denominations, varied in the work they do (including church communities and schools, NGOs and a young offenders’ penal institution), and found all round the globe, from Dresden to Belfast, Cape Town to 'Ground Zero', Jerusalem to Khartoum. Part Three of the book – 'Reflections on a Theology of Reconciliation' – is particularly profound and worthy of serious thought. Read this book, if you care about reconciliation, and if the story of the Cross of Nails inspires you.