As Charles Strobel, beloved Nashville priest and champion of the unhoused, reached the end of his life in 2023, he began to contemplate the last message he wanted to leave his family, friends, and community. With the help of his niece, Katie Seigenthaler, and his colleague, Amy Frogge, Strobel began to dictate The Kingdom of the Poor. He wrote, “Mark Twain, the great American folk hero and writer, has said, ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’ The following pages help to explain why I was born.”
The “why” of Charlie Strobel’s life, which was devoted to helping those without support systems and homes to call their own, was a simple belief that we are all poor and we are all worthy of love.
The Kingdom of the Poor is the story of the people and experiences that led him to this understanding and inspired him to live his life accordingly.
Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows and Late Migrations
Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of The Soul of America
Father Greg Boyle, author of Tattoos on the Heart and founder of Homeboy Industries
Kate Bowler, author of Have a Beautiful Terrible Day! and The Lives We Actually Have
Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist and author of Poverty, By America
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