The Space Between Us

“The Space Between Us is an invaluable book. Betty Pries uses her keen intellect, contemplative heart, and years of mediating personal and organizational conflict to guide us into the knowledge and practices that can lead us to peace with ourselves and with the people whose lives intersect our own. She invites us onto a challenging path, which holds the risk of our becoming humbler, wiser, more generous, and more gracious.”

—REBECCA SLOUGH, academic dean and professor of worship and the arts emerita at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

“I read this book in the midst of dealing with a significant conflict in our organization, incorporating Betty Pries’s methods in how I was working at transformation. Never have I come across a book that weaves together the necessity to engage the deepest sense of oneself with conflict transformation strategy . . . and this book does it through a narrative paradigm. Absolutely brilliant!”

—DOUG KLASSEN, executive minister of Mennonite Church Canada

“The Space Between Us offers readers a rich well of practical wisdom about what it means to be human and how to flourish in a world full of pain and conflict. Betty Pries shows us how conflict can be an opportunity for the growth of both individuals and communities. This book is especially important for churches, as it invites us to live more fully into the vibrant, relational life of the Trinity, for which we were created.”

—C. CHRISTOPHER SMITH, author of How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church

“This book is essential reading for anyone navigating conflict. It is a refreshingly holistic and practical approach to both healing oneself and transforming conflict. With exquisite skill and gentle, storied accompaniment, the author explains what could be highly theoretical and philosophical concepts in a most accessible form. This is a handbook for being human, regardless of your spiritual perspective.”

—JENNIFER BALL, assistant professor of peace and conflict studies at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo

“In The Space Between Us, Betty Pries offers sound conflict management principles and takes the reader much deeper. We are guided toward wisdom so needed in our world today—the ability to manage our defenses and differences in order to see and embrace the common humanity of our belovedness. Her work provides a path to greater hope for healing the self and to greater joy for a human community seeking reconciliation.”

—DAVID BOSHART, president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical