General Interest Reviews of Great Peacemakers

BUY THIS BOOK Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World (LTS Press, 2008) is a lovely and uplifting read that recently won the 2007 International Peace Writing Award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association. Co-authored by Ken Beller and Heather Chase, a husband-and-wife team, the book highlights 20 peacemakers in five categories: Choosing Nonviolence; Living Peace; Honoring Diversity; Valuing All Life; and Caring for the Planet. There are famous leaders, as well as lesser known people, who have made or are making a positive difference in our world. $21.95, www.greatpeacemakers.com Organic Spa magazine

The winner of the 2007 International Peace Writing Award, this book is perfect for anyone seeking a positive role model in his or her life. Illustrative stories about these leaders fill every page and bring them to life. Starting off with Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa, to name a few of the twenty peacemakers spotlighted, this book contains powerful research and insight on exactly why these people were truly great at promoting and living peace. It also includes actual statements and sayings by these individuals. The authors specifically chose to feature individuals who were all born after 1800 so we can better relate to them within a historical timeframe. The authors noted five paths to peace which emerged while studying and profiling these individuals, such as choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. The book also contains information on free study guides as well as a free download of instruction materials for clubs, schools, and other service organizations wishing to use this as a guideline standard for education. Sonia von Matt Stoddard, Awareness magazine

This is a refreshing and uplifting book and a great read for young people to find positive role models, and generally for educational purposes. It tells the true life stories of twenty peacemakers and includes individuals you will not know about who are making a difference. It has been highly endorsed and comes with free downloadable study guides. Lifescape magazine

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General Interest Reviews, contd Biographical sketches acclaim champions of non-violence Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World offers 20 eight-page, easy-to-read biographies of persons who have successfully promoted or cultivated peace. Some are famous leaders; others are less-well-known individuals who are also making a positive difference in the world. They have worked for peace in a variety of ways. The authors, a husband-and-wife team, note that the book represents five years of diligent research and writing that was a labour of love. They developed a data-base of 250 candidates who had a strong commitment to non-violence and were born after 1800, so that readers could better relate to them. The biographies of the 20 chosen from the 120 [sic] are organized under five paths to peace: Choosing Non-violence: Henry David Thoreau, U.S. naturalist who made Walden Pond a watchword; Indian liberator Mahatma Gandhi, who proved the power of non-violent resistance; Martin Luther King, Jr., U.S. brotherhood champion who had a dream; and Brazilian Anderson S, who uses music to wean young people from drugs and violence. Living Peace: Mother Teresa, world-renowned defender of the destitute and dying; Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has spread his message that the key to world peace is in the practice of being peace; Colman McCarthy, a U.S. journalist and educator who has promoted the teaching of peace in schools; and Oscar Arias, who, as president of Costa Rica, brokered a peace treaty that restored peace to war-torn Central America in the 1980s. Honouring Diversity: Bruno Hussar, a Catholic priest who founded an inter-faith village where Jews and Arabs live, learn, and work together; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who played a major role in ending apartheid in South Africa; Vienna-born Riane Eisler, an authority on partnership and domination; and the Dalai Lama, one of todays foremost proponents of non-violence. Valuing All Life: English scholar Henry Salt, one of the first persons to advocate a movement for animal rights; German-born Albert Schweitzer, who promoted reverence for all; Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, best known for her Pippi Longstocking books, who was a lifetime promoter of human and animal rights; and English ethologist Jane Goodall, animal rights advocate best known for her work with chimpanzees. Caring for the Planet: U.S. biologist Rachel Carson, a pioneer of the modern environmentalist movement, whose warnings of the overuses of artificial chemicals, including DDT, led to the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; David Suzuki, world-renowned environmentalist and the only Canadian chosen; Nader Khalili, Iranian-American architect who designed and promoted environmental friendly buildings made of earth; and Wangari Maathai, Kenyan defender of nature and human rights and the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, who led the Green Belt Movement to plant more than 30 million trees and provide income for 80 thousand households.

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General Interest Reviews, contd David Suzuki [sic], Mahatma Gandhi [sic], Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Oscar Arias, and Albert Schweitzer are also Nobel Peace Prize recipients. Suzuki draws particular praise for urging people to leave a cleaner environment for future generations by reconsidering humanitys relationship with nature and redefining progress: We need a completely different accounting and value system that can bring us back into balance with the realities of [sic] earth. Each biography in the book ends with a page of quotations from the peacemaker. Some examples: We must be the change we wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi We must learn to live with Mother Nature and put it deep in our hearts that whatever she gives we must take as blessings. Nader Khalili Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. Martin Luther King, Jr. The spirit of brotherhood, or solidarity, is precisely what the world needs more of today. Solidarity with our fellow humans, solidarity between nations, and solidarity towards our planet Earth. Oscar Arias If peace is what every government seeks, why arent we studying it and teaching it in schools? Colman McCarthy The destiny of a nation is too important to leave to politicians alone. Thich Nhat Hanh Some say to me that if we give charity to others it will diminish the responsibility of government towards the needy and the poor. I dont concern myself with this, because governments do not [sic] offer love. Mother Teresa Ken Beller is co-founder and president of Near Bridge, Inc., a consulting firm that links values to the bottom line and specializes in generational and cultural diversity, visionary leadership, and global sustainability. Heather Chase is the founder of Models with Conscience, an international group of models dedicated to promoting animal-friendly and environmentally-conscious products and causes. Roy LaBerge, The CCPA [Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives] Monitor

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General Interest Reviews, contd The book summarizes the work of 20 people from around the world including famous peacemakers like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, The Dalai Lama, Albert Schweitzer, and Oscar Arias, but also people you might not expect like Colman McCarthy, Riane Eisler, Rachel Carson, and Jane Goodall, as well as people you've probably never heard of like Wangari Maathai and Astrid Lindren [sic]. In describing these peacemakers, it also describes the wide range of social issues these peacemakers have tackled. The book appears to have been written primarily to bring the stories and ideas of these peacemakers to students, so accompanying the book are free (downloadable) study guides oriented towards middle- and high school classes and college and university classes as well as study guides for faith-based groups, book clubs, and service clubs, plus a companion journal for those reading the book alone. The guide for middle- and high school classes apparently meets national standards and guidelines in thirteen content areas. These six comprehensive study guides seem like they would be quite useful for teachers and study group facilitators. They encourage students to research a peacemaker, think about their own peacefulness, consider their role in supporting/challenging injustice in the world, write to a decision-maker about a problem or injustice, engage in community service, set up a Junior Peace Corps, hold a truth and reconciliation hearing, and carry out a nonviolent demonstration. "Great Peacemakers won the 2007 International PeaceWriting Award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology. The book is also endorsed by three heads of state and three Nobel Peace Prize recipients, including Dr. Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica and Nobel Laureate, who said: 'Powerful, well-researched and, above all, timely, Great Peacemakers should be required reading for the youth of the world.' " More information about the http://www.GreatPeacemakers.com. book and study guides is available at

ACHA (Association for Communal Harmony in Asia) Peace Bulletin

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General Interest Reviews, contd Twenty of the worlds most influential peacemakers are profiled in this concise collection meant to inform and inspire readers young and old. Five chapters profiling the life and works of such peacemakers as Mahatma Gandhi, Thich Nhat Hanh, The Dalai Lama and David Suzuki reflect the different pathways to peace identified by the authors including Choosing Nonviolence, Living Peace and Caring for the Planet. Limiting the biographies to five pages per peacemaker introduces each of these notable people, touching upon their youth, what influenced them, how they have sought to influence the world around them and where appropriate, how they died. Particularly interesting are the pages of quotes range from funny to deep and thought provoking like Martin Luther King, Jr.s Our scientific power has outrun out spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. The conclusion invites self-reflection and feedback via the authors website www.GreatPeacemakers.com while the comprehensive bibliography supplies additional resources for readers to learn more about each of the peacemakers. Sandy Amazeen, MonstersAndCritics.com

Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World is a wonderful book filled with the stories of historically significant individuals in brief biographical format. The books international appeal springs from the 20 refreshingly inspiring real-life stories that show readers of all ages that the power of the individual to create change that spans time is indeed possible. The book is divided into five sections. Part One highlights individuals who stand out for their efforts of choosing non-violence for change, including Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Anderson Sa. Part Two covers those who spent their lives living peace - Mother Teresa, Thich Nhat Hanh, Colman McCarthy and Oscar Arias. Part Three showcases people who have made their life's work honoring diversity; these individuals include Bruno Hussar, Desmond Tutu, Riane Eisler and the Dalai Lama. Part Four highlights those who value all life, including Henry Salt, Albert Schwitzer, Astrid Lindgren and Jane Goodall. Part Five deals with those who have dedicated their lives to the health of the planet: Rachel Carson, David Suzuki, Nader Khalili and Wangari Maathai. The 20 individuals are given an average of seven pages covering their lifes work, along with several photographs of each and a closing section of quotes. In the Conclusion, the authors offer thought-provoking questions to instigate creative dialogue about the individuals featured here. Great Peacemakers closes with a brief bibliography for each section, a fairly extensive index, a list of Photo Credits, and a full-page author bio - unusual in that most books offer only a paragraph about an author. Great Peacemakers won the 2007 International Peace Writing Award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the ONMI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology. The size of this book from LTS Press is roughly 6x9, with 195-pages, about 60 black and white photographs and an extensive index. Steve Hansen created the book design and composition.

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General Interest Reviews, contd Authors Ken Beller and Heather Chase are a married writing team working to promote peaceful and sustainable living throughout the world. Ken is the co-founder and president of the consulting firm Near Bridge Inc. Heather is the founder of Models with Conscience, an international group of models dedicated to promoting animal-friendly and environmentallyconscious products and causes. The authors offer free downloadable study guides through the site listed in the book, which include lesson plans, worksheets, answer keys and much more, an ideal resource for book clubs, service clubs, faith groups, and school, college and university classrooms. I was virtually jumping up and down in ecstasy when I saw the blurb stating that the carbon emissions associated with the publication of this book (paper production, printing, and shipping) have been offset with reforestation and renewable energy. As such, Great Peacemakers is a Certified Carbon Free Product, and I applaud the authors for making this choice. One of Great Peacemakers most notable assets is that the size of each section is not intimidating. Neither is the content, as it is not laden with heavy facts and dates. The authors simply highlight the passion of these individuals and the impressive, positive impact their lives have had on our world. I thoroughly enjoyed Great Peacemakers and highly recommend it. Read this book and prepare to be inspired. Lillian Brummet, Curled Up With a Good Book, curledup.com

I recently received a review copy of Great Peacemakers by husband and wife team, Ken Beller and Heather Chase. The book is a collection of 20 short profiles of well known, and not so well known peacemakers who the authors divided into five categories: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. Some of the peacemakers profiled include Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Thich Nhat Hanh, Riane Eisler, Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, Wangari Maathai, David Suzuki and The Dalai Lama. Although it won the 2007 OMNI PeaceWriting Award for Writing for Young People, Great Peacemakers' short profiles make for inspiring morning or bedtime reading for adults as well. Britt Bravo, BlogHer.com and HaveFunDoGood.blogspot.com

This book is a real treat for the peace-loving soul. The authors have profiled 20 great peacemakers. For each peacemaker theyve included information about their background, their peaceful actions and some wonderful quotes. The stories are each only a few pages long, making it a very light read and accessible to many people. The book is divided into five parts, including Choosing Nonviolence, Living Peace, Honoring Diversity, Valuing All Life, and Caring for the Planet. It is almost impossible not to get inspired while reading this book. As a bonus, you also learn something about history. This book can be used as a wonderful tool to teach people about peace and perhaps even move someone to action. It is dearly needed in todays world. Wanda Embar, VeganPeace.com
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General Interest Reviews, contd Five StarsA treasure for our times! Great Peacemakers is a fascinating read about twenty incredible people--some famous or familiar, some less so--whose positive influences have reverberated around the world and affected modern history in surprisingly countless ways. The authors carefully and thoughtfully organized the peacemakers and their particular areas of focus into five categories, or paths: Choosing Nonviolence, Living Peace, Honoring Diversity, Valuing All Life, and Caring for the Planet. Each theme has a vital point of social, political, environmental, and ethical significance and urgency, conveyed through the courage, creativity, and insights of the peacemakers. In selecting the peacemakers to profile, the authors strove for balance of race, nationality, religion, gender, age, and level of fame. The outcome is an exceptional collection of intriguing personalities and role models, each one equally memorable and inspirational. The text is easy to read but intelligently composed. Each segment consists of five pages that highlight the overall theme of each persons life. This format prevents the reader from getting bogged down in detail while gleaning the essence of the peacemakers, their accomplishments and challenges, and their individual approaches to peace. The photographs bring the individuals to life, and the quotations at the end of each segment encapsulate the core of their messages in memorable affirmations. Great Peacemakers is the kind of book that you want to read from cover to cover. Because each segment is self-contained, it's easy to complete just one a day, if time is limited, or if you want to use it as a topic of meditation, discussion, or further exploration. This book is ideal for youth through adults. It would also be an excellent text for middle school, high school, and college-level classes, as well as book clubs, community-service volunteers, activists, and faith-based groups. In fact, anyone who wants an uplifting, thought-provoking read will find this book to be a treasure--one that should be revisited frequently. Jo Stepaniak, MSEd, VegSource.com

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Education Reviews of Great Peacemakers

Peace for Our TimeDefining peace, as educators will know, is a tricky proposition, but this creative and engaging book contains 20 profiles of those who have enhanced the concept through their actions. The scope here is broad, taking in obvious candidates such as Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama as well as the philosophical work of Henry David Thoreau, animal rights pioneer Henry Salt and modern environmental and human rights campaigners. The authors try to illuminate their subjects lives as much as their work, making Great Peacemakers an informative and well-written read with a very human angle and a number of surprises. The language here is never over-complicated but does not trivialize the subject. Indeed, it is the small nuggets of information which really illuminate the lives of these visionaries. Most of all, though, the book is a springboard for a range of classroom discussions: did Albert Schweitzers reverence for life lead in any way to the modern cult of personality? Did Thoreau achieve his aims by, in effect, doing nothing? Beller and Chase do not always attempt to answer such questions or provide a wider context, which is perhaps a slight failing, but inquisitive students will compensate. A fine addition to any classroom shelf. IB World (the official magazine of the International Baccalaureate)

This is an excellent introduction to the lives of 20 of the most important people to have lived in our world in the last 200 years. The authors categorize their choices under these headings: Choosing Nonviolence; Living Peace; Honoring Diversity; Valuing All Life; and Caring for the Planet. The peacemakers range chronologically from Henry David Thoreau and Henry Salt to living heroes such as Jane Goodall and Desmond Tutu. The range includes people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr., but also Anderson S, a man who uses his reggae music to fight gang and gun violence around the world. The stories are well written and easy to read; the concepts are easy to understand; and each is followed by quotations from the peacemaker. There is an excellent introduction and conclusion, which consists of a number of discussion questions. In addition, there are extensive notes and an index that show the quality of research this husband and wife team used to write this book. There are also photos in each section showing the peacemakers in action. This book won the 2007 International Peace Writing Award and would be an excellent addition to any school library. Nola Theiss, KLIATT magazine

From Mother Teresa to the Dalai Lama, this book explores the stories of people who have peacefully worked to make a difference in the world. Winner of the 2007 International PeaceWriting Award, this is a book that inspires and teaches. Skipping Stones magazine

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Education Reviews, contd This collection of life stories of 20 peacemakers from around the world is a welcome addition to any middle or high school classroom. The short biographical essays cover the childhood and the social/ecological justice activities of the individuals. Each also has a photo and a page of quotations from every peacemaker. Those profiled include Wangari Maathai from Kenya, Bruno Hussar the creator of the Oasis of Peace village in Israel, and Rachel Carson. Rethinking Schools magazine

This inspiring collection introduces 20 remarkable people from around the world who have made peace their choice in life. Their photographs and pithy biographical sketches are arranged under five paths to peace: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life and caring for the planet. Giants such as Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa appear along with the less known: Brazilian AfroReggae musician Anderson S, Washington peace educator Colman McCarthy and Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This accessible volume will mobilize activists of all ages, with messages in each peacemaker's own words. Study guides for groups and classes are available online. Cathi MacRae, Youth Today the newspaper on youth work

From time to time on this blog I review booksand sometimes, like now, I am even sent books to review, which is always nice. Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World by Ken Beller and Heather Chase is the 2007 winner of the International Peace Writing Award given by the Peace and Justice Studies Association and the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology. It is written by a unique husband and wife writing team. Ken Beller is co-founder and president of Near Bridge, Inc., a consulting firm that links bottom line profitability with values and specializes in promoting generational and cultural diversity, visionary leadership, and global sustainability. He is the lead author of the highly praised The Consistent Consumer: Predicting Future Behavior Through Lasting Values (Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2005). Heather Chase is founder of Models with Conscience, an international group of fashion models dedicated to promoting animal-friendly and environmentally-conscious products and causeswhich is certainly not what comes to mind when one thinks of most fashion models!! Heather is the author of Beauty without the Beasts: A Guide to Cruelty-Free Personal Care (Lantern Books, 2001) which, as the title suggests, promotes beauty products that are developed without animal testing or the use of furs and skins. Great Peacemakers is a collection of biographical sketches of 20 major workers for peace, justice, and a sustainable environment. The figures chosen range from the 19th to the 21st c. and come from various different cultural, racial/ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds. The chapters of biographical sketches are brief (only 2-3 pp. apiece) and are written simply. Because of this, it is just as appropriate for older children, adolescents, and young adults as for older readers.

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Education Reviews, contd Many of the figures profiled are instantly familiar to most people, such as Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Desmond Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, the 14th Dalai Lama, and Albert Schweitzer. Those familiar with the literature of peace and justice studies will not learn anything new in these chapters, but they are excellent introductions to folks for whom these are just names. Other profiles are of people who are not as well known. I, for instance, had never heard of Andersan S, a singer and leader of the band AfroReggae from the slums (favelas) of Brazil who uses Afro-Reggae music to fight the drug trade and give young people from the favelas hope. And even though I have been heavily invested in Middle East peace work for years, I was completely unfamiliar with the life and work of Father Bruno Hussar, a Catholic priest born in Egypt of a Hungarian father and French mother (both non-practicing Jews), who created in 1969 Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salaam, an interfaith village known as an Oasis of Hope where Israelis and Palestinians (Jews, Muslims, and Christians) live in peace and which runs a School of Peace not only for children and adults in the Middle East, but for people in conflict situations around the world. Hussar and his village have repeatedly been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize since 1988, but this was my first introduction to them. Other folk, like the childrens author Astrid Lindgren, creator of the Pippi Longstocking books, are well known, but their peacemaking efforts are not as well known. A significant feature of this gem of a book is the way that environmental concerns are deeply woven into work for peace and justicea dimension overlooked in some standard peace literature. I expected that when the environmentalist was also known for more traditional peace work, as in the cases of Thoreau or Schweitzer, or when the persons work had clearly connected ecological and peace concerns, such as with Jane Goodall or Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai, but I had never considered the work of the ecologist Rachel Carson or the early British animal rights activist Henry Salt in terms of peacemaking. I was glad to be challenged to rethink these connections. Brief quotes from each figure follow the biographical sketches, encouraging readers to pursue their writings for themselves. Excellent photos also accompany each chapter. At the back of the book, each chapter has endnotes (misnamed a bibliography) to writings or websites which is also helpful. Yet, this could have been made more helpful if a real bibliography had been added that had covered the major writings or standard biographies of the more prolific figures in these chapters. A few errors in fact creep in to some of the biographical sketches themselves (e.g., Martin Luther King did NOT go to Boston University immediately following his graduation from Morehouse College; King went to Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, PAnow merged with Colgate-Rochester to form Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY. It was only Kings Ph.D. in philosophical theology that he pursued at Boston University), but these are very few and seem to be a result of strict editing for brevity so that 20 people can be profiled.

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Education Reviews, contd I recommend this book not for scholars, but for those new to these fields. Hopefully, it wets appetites to learn more about several of these great peacemakersor others. Our history books teach us the names of generals and dictators, but leave us ignorant of the pioneers of nonviolence, justice seeking, peacemaking, and ecological sustainability. As Colman McCarthy (one of the people profiled), journalist and teacher of peace, says, Why are we violent but not illiterate? Because we are taught to read. This is a nice introduction to the teaching of peacemaking in a very broad sense. It would make a great Christmas gift (or a gift for Channukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, etc.) or birthday gift. Michael L. Westmoreland-White, Ph.D., Levellers.wordpress.com

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Faith-based Reviews of Great Peacemakers

Another book that helps us see Gods lightand the most outstanding of this bevy of booksis the award-winning Great Peacemakers: True Stories from Around the World by Ken Beller and Heather Chase (LTS Press, 2008, $21.95). Beller and Chase provide short biographies of twenty great advancers of peace from the 19th century through today. The book is in five sections: Choosing Nonviolence, Living Peace, Honoring Diversity, Valuing All Life, and Caring for the Planet. Each section contains biographical sketches of four peacemakers, including a photo of the person and quotes from her or him. This engaging book ranges from Henry David Thoreau to the Nobel prize-winning African environmentalist Wangari Maathai. Other figures that Beller and Chase feature include Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Thich Nhat Hanh, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Albert Schweitzer, Jane Goodall, and Rachel Carson. Great Peacemakers would be excellent for catechism and other study groups to help both lay people and pastors understand better the various ways we can bring the light of peace to a world fumbling and groping in the darkness of violence-idolatry. The Rev. Dr. David von Schlichten, Lutheran Partners magazine

An exploration of some the world's most influential peacemakers, this book examines the diverse methods by which peace may be fostered and spread. There are twenty individuals covered in this volume, hailing from faith traditions and nations around the world. Great Peacemakers is divided into five sections: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. The lives of four individuals are covered per section, offering true accounts of human altruism and the ambition to change the world for the better. Some examples include Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Religions for Peace USA Newsletter

Conflict, war and violence are the norm in todays world. But, fortunately, there are also peacemakers around who offer another path, one that brings meaning and transformation and hope to a weary planet. Ken Beller and Heather Case spent five years researching and writing this inspiring and salutary resource, which presents the true stories of 20 peacemakers. The book is organized into five sections: Choosing Nonviolence Henry David Thoreau: Living Deliberately Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Resistance Martin Luther King, Jr.: Daring to Dream Anderson Sa: An Instrument of Change

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Faith-Based Reviews, contd Living Peace Mother Teresa: Love in Action Thich Nhat Hanh: Being Peace Colman McCarthy: Teaching Peace Oscar Arias: "Us" Refers to All of Humankind Honoring Diversity Bruno Hussar: Interfaith Harmony Desmond Tutu: All Belong Riane Eisler: Partnership, Not Domination The Dalai Lama: Universal Compassion Valuing All Life Henry Salt: The Creed of Kinship Albert Schweitzer: Reverence for Life Astrid Lindgren: A Voice for the Voiceless Jane Goodall: Realizing Our Humanity Caring for the Planet Rachel Carson: The Balance of Nature David Suzuki: Redefining Progress Nader Khalili: Sustainable Community Wangari Maathai: Planting Seeds of Peace This is an invaluable resource for youth who need many more models of the different ways to bring peace into our world of savagery. Each biography concludes with a section of quotations from the peacemaker. We highly recommend Great Peacemakers and hope that it will find its way into religious libraries of all types. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, SpiritualityAndPractice.com

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Individual Reviews of Great Peacemakers

5 stars BEYOND FIVE STARSMarks Beginning of the Era of Peace This book was brilliantly conceived and executed. I like it so much I am adding it to me travel series for recurring selective reading. The other books in my travel series are: Leadership Lessons from Jesus Creating Affluence: The A-to-Z Steps to a Richer Life Seven Years from Somewhere (Poetry) The Astonished Universe (Poetry, French & English) I am very impressed by the research and the creative analysis that paved the way for this book to be truly in a class of its own. Indeed, I think the authors are on to something that could and should be a multilingual series used in every classroom on the planet. While the table of contents is impressive, with twenty great souls selected for concise review, what really got my attention was the Introduction, where the authors observe that after much research, they found five distinct groups or paths to peace: choosing nonviolence, living peace, honoring diversity, valuing all life, and caring for the planet. There is one other, public intelligence (a topic on which I have written four books, published a fifth, and have just commissioned three new edited works (Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace; Peace Intelligence: Assuring a Good Life for All; and Commercial Intelligence: From Moral Green to Golden Peace). Each of the chapters is short, easy to read, relevant, and concluded by a page of thoughts from the person in their own words, and that is the primary reason this book made the extraordinary leap into permanent travel with me. Two from Martin Luther King, Jr. represent all that I live to correct: The way of acquiescence leads to moral and spiritual suicide. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men. See my varied lists and my many non-fiction reviews for additional reading. I am *very* pleased to have read this book, and I do not plan to put it away. This volume is not just a keeper, it is a travel companion rich with good intentions that are contagious. Well done! Robert D. Steele, Amazon.com Top 50 Reviewer

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Individual Reviews, contd Five starsFINALLY!! A book that celebrates PEACE rather than violence!!! Who said these revealing STATEMENTS? (1) "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided [people]." (2) "If peace is what every government says it seeks, and peace is the yearning of every heart, [then] why aren't we studying it and teaching it in schools." (3) "It is far too easy to discourage, all to easy to criticize, to complain, to rebuke. Let us try instead to see even a small amount of good in a person and concentrate on that." (4) "If we want to save face as a civilized nation, we have to resolve some questions--ethical ones, not economic." (5) "War is more than a metaphor; we are in a real struggle to protect the life support systems of the planet from a degradation that is every bit as threatening as a bomb or bullet." The above five statements were made by five of the twenty peacemakers (that is, those "individuals who have made peace their choice in life") profiled in this powerful, inspirational book. Note that on the book's cover (displayed above by Amazon or available at the book`s Internet site, great peacemakers.com) is what looks like a round convex mirror that is reflecting the coloured portraits of the twenty peacemakers (six of whom are female, nine of whom are deceased) profiled in this book. The book's authors are (A) Ken Beller, cofounder and president of "a consulting firm that links values to the bottom line" and (B) Heather Chase, founder of an "international group of models dedicated to promoting animal-friendly and environmentally-conscious products and causes." The book itself represents five years of research. The main feature of this book is how it is organized. Each of the twenty peacemakers is categorized into one of five "PATHS TO PEACE," namely: (i) Choosing non-violence (ii) Living peace (iii) Honouring diversity (iv) Valuing all life (v) Caring for the planet It was decided that four peacemakers per path would be profiled. Another feature is that each peacemaker's life story have been summarized into five pages!! Why was this done? So as "to highlight the overall theme of each person's life and not bury it in too much detail."

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Individual Reviews, contd Each well-written peacemaker profile has the following format: (a) Portrait of the peacemaker (the same as on the book's cover but this time in black and white). (b) Summary of the summary. In other words, a peacemaker's life story that has been summarized into five pages is further summarized into a few sentences. The reader thus learns the essence of a particular peacemaker. Here is an example of a three-sentence summary of the summary: "World-renowned physician, Nobel laureate, organist, theologian, philosopher, and humanitarian, [this great peacemaker] was a modern-day Renaissance man. Most famous for his medical service in the African jungle, [this great peacemaker] felt that his greatest contribution to the world was the ethic of Reverence for Life. Saying, "I wanted to make my life my argument," [this great peacemaker] lived this ethic, encouraging it on a global level as the basis of world peace." (c) Five page summary proper. Gives the key facts about a particular peacemaker, avoiding unnecessary and superfluous detail. For example, the great peacemaker mentioned in (b) above has a five page summary composed of twelve paragraphs. Two black and white pictures are included within this summary. (d) Actual thought-provoking quotations or statements (five to nine of them) for each peacemaker. Note that the five STATEMENTS above were said from one peacemaker in a particular PATH TO PEACE. For example, STATEMENT (1) above was uttered by one of the four peacemakers in PATH TO PEACE (i) also above. Finally, who was this book written for? Answer:(1) Anyone wanting an uplifting read. (We can all use this.) (2) Parents looking for positive role models for their children (as opposed to the majority of negative role models so prevalent in today's society). (3) Educators seeking inspirational material for their students. In conclusion, the authors state: "Our aim in creating [this book] was to help promote peace by showcasing true-life stories of people who have successfully cultivated peace in a variety of ways." Have they succeeded in their aim? In my opinion, they've hit the bull's-eye!! I can't wait for the next edition of this book that will profile twenty more great peacemakers!! I leave you with another statement uttered by yet another peacemaker profiled in this amazing book: "Humans can never be completely non-violent, but we can certainly move in this direction." (first published early 2008; acknowledgements; introduction; 5 parts or 20 chapters; conclusion; main narrative 170 pages; bibliography; index; photo credits; about the authors) Stephen Pletko, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer

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