Winner of more than thirty awards, Great Peacemakers is endorsed by three presidents and three Nobel Peace Prize winners. This concise and easy-to-read book tells the inspiring true life stories of twenty great peacemakers from around the world—from a Vietnamese monk to a Brazilian musician, from a Swedish children’s author to an Iranian-American architect. Replete with abundant photos and thought-provoking quotes, Great Peacemakers is ideal for parents seeking positive roles models for their children, educators looking for thought-provoking material for their students, or anyone simply wanting an uplifting read.

Reviews

BEYOND FIVE STARS—Marks Beginning of the Era of Peace …
—Robert D. Steele, Amazon.com Top 50 Reviewer

Five Stars—FINALLY!! A book that celebrates PEACE rather than violence!!! …
—Stephen Pletko, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer

Perfect for anyone seeking a positive role model in his or her life …
—Sonia von Matt Stoddard, Awareness magazine

It is almost impossible not to get inspired while reading this book ...
—Wanda Embar, VeganPeace.com

Read this book and prepare to be inspired ...
—Lillian Brummet, Curled Up With a Good Book, curledup.com

A fine addition to any classroom shelf ...
—IB World (the official magazine of the International Baccalaureate)

This is a book that inspires and teaches ...
—Skipping Stones magazine

This accessible volume will mobilize activists of all ages ...
—Cathi MacRae, Youth Today "the newspaper on youth work"

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, Spirituality & Practice

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

Another book that helps us see God’s light—and the most outstanding of this bevy of books—is 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