Nancy Lohmann is a professor of social work at West Virginia University and senior adviser to the provost. She is the coeditor of Transitions of Aging. Roger Lohmann is a professor of social work at West Virginia University. He is the author of The Commons: New Perspectives on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action and Breaking Even: Financial Management in Human Service Organizations and the editor of Nonprofit Management and Leadership. The Lohmanns are also the coauthors of Social Administration (Columbia).

• Introduction (Roger A. Lohmann and Nancy Lohmann) Part I: The Context of Practice 1. Social Work in Rural America: Lessons from the Past and Trends for the Future (Barry L. Locke and Jim Winship) 2. Rural Poverty and Welfare Reform: Challenges and Opportunities (Eleanor H. Blakely and Barry L. Locke) 3. Wired for the Future? The Impact of Information and Telecommunications Technology on Rural Social Work (Norma H. Wasko) 4. The Distribution of Nonprofit Social Service Organizations along the Rural-Urban Continuum (Mark A. Hager, Amy Brimer, and Thomas H. Pollak) 5. The Third Sector in Rural America (Roger A. Lohmann) Part II: Interventions 6. Dual Relationships in Rural Communities (Warren B. Galbreath) 7. Rural Community-Building Strategies (Dennis L. Poole) 8. The Multiple Roles of a Rural Administrator (Nancy Lohmann and Roger A. Lohmann) Part III: Client Populations and Fields of Practice 9. Services for the Chronically Mentally Ill in Rural Areas (Elizabeth Randall) 10. Directions in Rural Mental Health Practice (Elizabeth Randall and Dennis Vance, Jr.) 11. The Health of Rural Minorities (Doris Nicholas) 12. Gay Men and Lesbians in Rural Areas: Acknowledging, Valuing, and Empowering This Stigmatized Invisible People (Chatman Neely) 13. The Role of Religiousness/Spirituality and Social Support on Subjective Well-being Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural Communities (Dong Pil Yoon) 14. Demographic Characteristics of the Rural Elderly (Craig Johnson) Part IV: Education for Practice 15. Social Work Education for Rural Practice (Nancy Lohmann) Epilogue: What is Rural Practice? (Roger A. Lohmann and Nancy Lohmann) List of Contributors Index

This is a fine basic text or reader for social work students who want to absorb the flavor and needs of practice in the rural US. Choice An important contribution to the literature and should be widely consulted by anyone interested in rural social welfare. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare