Where We Keep the Light — Gov. Josh Shapiro on Faith, Community and Resilience

In his forthcoming memoir Where We Keep the Light (Harper/HarperCollins), Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reflects on a lifetime of public service, the April 2025 arson attack on the Governor's Residence, and the ordinary Americans whose compassion sustains democratic life. Below is an edited excerpt from the book.

Excerpt

Five months after the arson attack on the Residence, I was sitting in a pew at Salem Baptist Church when a woman tapped my arm. She had been sitting across from me—wearing a baby‑pink T‑shirt, sweatpants and a matching cap, ready for a fitness walk after services. She looked to be in her seventies and greeted me with a smile. "Governor, I've been praying for you," she said.

I was moved. She told me that seventeen years earlier, when I served this district in the state House, we had met at a local event. Her husband had been sick and they were struggling to secure medical benefits. She remembered that I listened, told my team to find a way, and that we did. Now she was here at a difficult moment for my family and me, praying and lifting us up. I felt the power of those prayers and the connection to someone I had not seen in many years.

The days after the attack often felt heavy and unrelenting, like wandering through darkness. Yet as we navigated immediate challenges and shouldered the weight, what we most carried forward were moments like this. That light was all around us: an outpouring from people across the country whose shared humanity and sense of decency affirmed what is right and what our country can be.

On mornings like that at Salem, and when I visit synagogues or other houses of worship as part of my work, I find myself thinking of William Penn. He arrived on these shores in October 1682 aboard a ship named Welcome and envisioned a Pennsylvania open to all—grounded in free expression, freedom of religion, free elections and mutual respect. I feel a responsibility to carry that forward: to travel a few more miles on the path Penn began and to help keep our commonwealth warm and welcoming for everyone, regardless of how they look, where they come from, who they love, or how they pray.

It is unlikely Penn ever imagined a Governor who prays like I do, a Lieutenant Governor who resembles Austin Davius in the land he once led, or a future in which a Jewish Governor would host a large iftar during Ramadan, worry about bigger Christmas trees at the Governor's Residence in December, or celebrate his son's bar mitzvah in that same public home. Still, I believe he'd be proud of how far we've come.

That ethic of faith and acceptance set in motion by Penn is foundational to this nation. From the patriots at Independence Hall to ordinary Americans who have demanded justice and worked to build a better life for their children, our story has been written by countless everyday acts of courage and decency. I've seen it in the work of survivors who speak truth, workers who stood up to corporate power, law enforcement officers who risk their lives for neighbors, mothers who turn grief into service after losing children to fentanyl, craftsmen who rebuilt public spaces after an attack, and couples who advanced marriage equality.

All of these examples—quiet and loud, public and private—have propelled us forward and renewed our faith in a brighter day. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things each day help build a more just and connected nation. When darkness threatens, that faith in one another is where we keep the light.

Reprinted with permission from Where We Keep the Light. Copyright © 2026 by Josh Shapiro. Published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The book is available in hardcover, eBook and audio formats (release date Jan. 27).

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Buy the book: Available from major retailers and independent sellers (for example, Bookshop.org).