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Ann Patchett wrote so warmly of Father Charlie Strobel, advocate for the unhoused and founder of Nashville’s Room at the Inn, that I wanted to know him. Shortly before his death in 2023, he reminisced with colleagues and relatives until a memoir was born. The Kingdom of the Poor is the result — a lifetime of stories illustrating Strobel’s belief that “we are all poor and we are all worthy of love.” His folksy stories are often amusing, yet memories of the segregated South, the example of family members who live to serve others, and folks who know how to “make do” even when times are tough explain how Strobel’s faith and character were formed.

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