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This book aims to give readers a hopeful roadmap to a future where all communities have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Sometimes, it can be challenging to imagine doing better. That better future is obscured by the present-day wars, hatred, disinformation, dehumanization, and violence we are living through. It can make it seem as if we are on an unchangeable path toward a dystopian future. But, collectively through our imagination, reflection, and action, we can make a better world possible. This new book from Johns Hopkins University Press can help you understand how.

What reviewers are saying about Imagine Doing Better

  • "If we successfully set a welcoming table for all, what might we do while seated there? How might we set a new agenda, organize a meaningful dialogue, and advance a healing strategy? Dr. Fleming's work beckons, and I plan to take a seat and prepare for the courageous journey he offers."

    Renée Branch Canady, author of Room at the Table: a Leader's Guide for Advancing Health Equity and Justice

  • "Paul Fleming forces us to ask big questions. What might the world look like if we invested in understanding why bad things happen and prevent them from happening—rather than waiting until it's too late? We should pay attention…before it's too late."

    Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate and former Executive Director of Detroit Health Department

  • "Paul Fleming's book is an invitation to reject the status quo and radically right-size systems to minimize harm. This is an excellent guide for chaotic times and a reminder to dream beyond the challenges ahead.

    Linh Song, former City Councilmember, Ann Arbor

    Paul Fleming's book is an invitation to reject the status quo and radically right-size systems to minimize harm. Reflection and response are daily practices in how we care for others, building muscle memory for justice movements. This is an excellent

  • "Written with precision, passion, and moral clarity. This is a book to help us see our world more clearly and envision the better one we might build."

    Sandro Galea, Dean of Washington University School of Public Health and author of Within Reason

  • "In Imagine Doing Better, Fleming blends research, personal insight, and a call to action. Grounded in evidence and empathy, this is essential reading for changemakers and all who seek a just world."

    Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation

More about Imagine Doing Better

Public policies in the United States are built on certain assumptions: that long-term prison sentences deter crime, that corporate profits benefit everyone, that police are the best way to ensure safety, and that meritocracy ensures equal opportunity. Yet, as the book reveals, mountains of evidence show that many of these widely accepted policies cause harm, perpetuate inequities, and even lead to premature death.

In Imagine Doing Better, Fleming offers a bold vision for change that's rooted in public health principles of prevention—addressing problems at their root before they occur. Combining rigorous research, historical analysis, and compelling narratives, he examines the deep flaws in policies governing health care, education, justice, and the environment. Fleming unpacks how these systems were built, why harmful assumptions persist, and how they can be reimagined to promote equity, sustainability, and human dignity. Fleming challenges readers to rethink entrenched ideas by exploring thought-provoking questions like "Are prisons a good investment?" and "Is education a ladder or a sieve?". He highlights how budgets and policies reflect moral choices, and he provides frameworks for advocacy and policymaking grounded in evidence and fairness.

Fleming paints a hopeful—yet urgent—picture of what's possible when societies invest in solutions that prioritize human dignity, equity, and sustainability. Accessible and inspiring, Imagine Doing Better offers a hopeful roadmap to a future where all communities have the resources and opportunities to thrive.