Description:
Studying the individual faces and personal essays of these 75 peacemakers we discover a simple truth: making peace is an act of courage. Put them all together in a volume as elegant as this one and a higher truth emerges: making peace is the world's next spiritual calling. Photographer Michael Collopy did an excellent job of bringing forth each of his subject's integrity, grit, and humanity. In the clear and gentle eyes of Vietnam veteran and author Ron Kovic we see the healing that it took to transcend the wounds of the battlefield and write Born on the Fourth of July. Maried Corrigan Maguire lost two nephews and a niece in an IRA and British car chase. Soon after, Maguire's grief-stricken sister committed suicide. As a result she founded Peace People, an organization to end sectarian violence. In her strong jaw and sad eyes we see every woman who has ever turned grief into activism. Many of the faces are familiar ones--Carlos Santana, Cezar Chavez, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dr. Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott King. Yet there are numerous quiet heroes as well. The personal essays are mostly brief (one page) but offer compelling reasons why we all should give peace a chance. --Gail Hudson
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