Leading Sociologist Reveals Surprising News About the True State of the World

Currently Featured in the Patheos Book Club

Upside:Surprising Good News About the State of Our World

by Bradley R. E. Wright, PhD

Many people have an impending sense of doom about our country and the

world. But are their fears based on reality or twisted information?

Bradley Wright, author of the critically acclaimed book Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told, is back to stir up the waters.

A leading academic sociologist, Wright says that things are not as bad as people think-or as bad as the media makes it out to be. Using the best available data, along with a quick wit and a wry sense of humor, he reveals surprisingly good facts about the state of global poverty, sickness, sexual morality, the environment, the global church, and more.

For instance, you might be surprised to know:

1. Global poverty has been cut in half over the last several decades.
2. Infant deaths have decreased dramatically in recent years.
3. Crime rates have been dropping since the early 1990s.
4. Literacy rates have soared from 25% to over 80% in the last 100 years.
5. Divorce rates have been dropping steadily over the last 30 years.
6. Christianity is a fast-growing and influential force in Asia and Africa.

Though our world is far from perfect, Wright argues that maybe it isn't in a downward spiral after all. In an age of pessimism and negative media bombardment, this book offers good news to readers looking for glimpses of hope.

What People Are Saying

"Brad Wright has done it again! Reading Upside is the ideal vacation-you feel

refreshed and you want to tell everyone about it."

—Scot McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies,

North Park University

"Upside can help correct the glass-is-half-empty-and-probably-leaking pessimism that many of us use when thinking about the world and its problems. Bradley Wright brings broad knowledge and a sense of humor to helping readers understnd what's gotten better - and what still needs work."

—Joel Best, Professor of Sociology, University of Delaware and bestselling author

About the Author

Bradley R. E. Wright, PhD, is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of

Connecticut. After receiving tenure, Brad switched his academic focus from crime to religion in order to research American Christianity. Brad received his PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, the top ranked sociology graduate program in the United States.

He has a popular blog (brewright.com) based on his research. His first book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ...and Other Lies You've Been Told received the 2011 Christianity Today Book Award. He's appeared on numerous national media outlets, including USAToday.com, Foxnews.com, Moody's Chris Fabry Live! and the Drew Marshall Show. Brad is married, has two children, and lives in Connecticut.

Visit the Patheos Book Club on Upside for more, including an author interview and a book excerpt.