Biography — Review
 Great Peacemakers:
True Stories From Around the World
By Ken Beller and Heather Chase
LTS Press, 2008
ISBN 978-0-9801382-0-7
$21.95, 195 pp, hardcover, b/w photos, index, ages 12+
www.GreatPeacemakers.com
Great Peacemakers is a collection of twenty short essays telling the inspirational stories of peacemakers from around the world. The people profiled in this volume worked in different disciplines and times in history (some are still living and working), but all embraced a strong commitment to nonviolence, and dedicated their lives to bringing about positive social change. The authors strove for balance in race, nationality, religion, gender, age and level of fame as they chose their subjects from hundreds of deserving possibilities. Some are well known and others less so. The profiles are grouped according to themes: Choosing Nonviolence (Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Anderson Sá); Living Peace (Mother Teresa, Thich Nhat Hanh, Colman McCarthy, Oscar Arias); Honoring Diversity (Bruno Hussar, Desmond Tutu, Riane Eisler, The Dalai Lama); Valuing All Life (Henry Salt, Albert Schweitzer, Astrid Lindgren, Jane Goodall); and Caring for the Planet (Rachel Carson, David Suzuki, Nader Khalili, Wangari Maathai). Great Peacemakers is a valuable classroom resource and could be read aloud by teachers to spark discussion and further research, or by students as part of units of study focusing on influential people, the environment, the peace movement or human rights. A bibliography for each chapter is included that will facilitate further study of these inspiring individuals. Accompanying study guides including lesson plans, worksheets, answer keys, rubrics, etc. are available for free download at www.GreatPeacemakers.com. The book has received five awards, including the International Peace Writing Award, the Skipping Stones Honor Award, and three National Indie Excellence Awards in the US.
Return to Book Review List |
