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PRAISE FOR PEACEBUILDERS 

"Ms. Perry has reconnected the openness of childhood to the possibilities of the world." -Roy Craft, Director, Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel, Morehouse College MORE

"...you can’t put it down until you’ve turned the last page...[it's] the type of book that stays with a child throughout life." -Nathalie Mvondo, Multiculturalism Rocks! Blog MORE

"PeaceBuilders focuses young people on the fact that the ability to bring peace into our lives is natural, within their reach, and exciting.” –Jonathan Granoff, President, Global Security Institute

"...[a]...carefully-documented chapter book [that] makes Ikeda’s story accessible to younger readers...a user-friendly resource." 
-Yana V. -Rodgers, Director, Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children MORE

"...can help promote tolerance and...global awareness." -Ari, Reading in Color Blog MORE

“The book [is] fascinating."-Suzanne Lieurance, author, and host of Blog Talk Radio’s Book Bites for Kids, www.bookbitesforkids.com LISTEN

Inspirational biographies were an important part of my early education. These books provided me with examples of how to live my life. Children need role models, I think, especially today, when they are bombarded by media that glorify celebrity and violence and often cater to the lowest common denominator of society. PeaceBuilders shows, in an accessible way, without talking down to children, how character grows as young people learn from mentors and teachers and are able to reflect on what they see around them and their place in the world.

Ms. Perry has given us an important work on non-violent social change by detailing the lives of two extraordinary men who came of age amidst some of the greatest tragedy and violence our world has known. By showing how the transformation of the consciousness of an individual child can lead to him becoming a transformational leader who can have a major influence on millions of people, Ms. Perry has reconnected the openness of childhood to the possibilities of the world.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s close friends and supporters, at King’s funeral, said the following to two of his Jewish colleagues, when they asked, “What do we do now?” Heschel said, “Teach the children, so they may remake the world.” Ms. Perry’s book is indeed in concert with these wise words. 

-Roy Craft, Director, Martin Luther King Jr., International Chapel, Morehouse College  TOP

Daisaku Ikeda, the current and long-term president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI)--one of the world’s largest Buddhist organizations--grew up in an extremely modest household environment in Japan. As the son of seaweed farmers and the brother to seven siblings, he had a childhood filled with love, albeit not with great material wealth. The onset of World War II brought much hardship for his family, especially the loss of multiple homes to bombing... These losses bred in him a growing opposition to war and a desire to advocate for peace. 

Under the careful and dedicated tutelage of his teacher, Josei Toda, Ikeda learned about Nichiren Buddhism and how the spread and application of Nichiren Buddhist principles could help promote world peace. Over time, Ikeda became more influential within and outside of Japan; he was chosen to become SGI’s third president, he worked with numerous world leaders, and he received hundreds of high-profile awards. 

[PeaceBuilders is a] carefully-documented chapter book [that] makes Ikeda’s story accessible to younger readers interested in learning more about Buddhism and its spiritual leaders. A rich collection of photographs and detailed reference notes work well to complement the text and turn the book into a user-friendly resource. 

-Yana V. Rodgers, Director, Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children  TOP

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