Annotated Peace Resource List

History of the Crusades, told from the perspective of Muslims: Turks, Kurds, and Egyptians in this biography of Saladin (1138-1193), a relatively generous military ruler. Christian “heroes” from Europe are shown in their un-Christian lifestyles. Much to talk about here. The text is lengthy, though accompanied by wonderful maps and illustrations, so NOT a picture book for the young.

Tells the unusual life story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who was born an African Egbado princess, captured by rival Dohamans and taken to Dahomey to be murdered in a ritual sacrifice, rescued and adopted by a British naval captain, taken to England and presented to Queen Victoria, and raised under the Queen's protection in England and Sierra Leone. Includes many excerpts from Sarah's letters and the Queen's diaries, as well as historic illustrations. Relevant information about 19th century West Africa and Britain (e.g., the Dahomey empire, the slave trade and British actions to end it, Christian missions in Africa, Sierra Leone, the British class system, women's place in society, etc.) is well presented. Much about the lives of ordinary 19th century West Africans and Europeans can be learned here. (from Amazon review by Ed. Gibbon)

One man's experience in the south in 1959 after coloring his Skin from pinkish gray to very dark brown.

Examines the life of the Mexican-American labor organizer who demanded rights for farm workers

Picture book format has vibrant colors and gives basics of Ali’s life, though not comprehensively. Includes his refusal to be drafted based on religious beliefs, views as a Muslim against the Vietnam War, and speaking out about discrimination against African Americans.

Relates the life story of the Nez Perce, native American chief who led his people on a long trek to escape the great injustices of the American government.

Prize-winning journalist and author David Halberstam goes back in time to the beginnings of the civil rights movement in Nashville, Tennessee, tracing both the lives of the individuals who initiated it and the growth of the movement itself into its present-day status.

Every epic must have its hero, and The Children has James Lawson, a young, African-American divinity student whose tactics in civil disobedience were learned at the knees of Mahatma Gandhi's followers during a three-year stint as a missionary to India. When he returned to the States and was accepted into the all-white Vanderbilt Divinity School, Lawson began teaching workshops to Nashville's African-American youth designed to equip them for the equal-rights struggle, a battle Lawson believed could be won only with nonviolent tactics. Halberstam chronicles the fight against racism with the insight that comes from witnessing it first-hand. As a young journalist for the Tennessean in Nashville, he covered the rise of the civil rights movement, and in The Children he draws on many of his writings from the era. From accounts of lunch-counter sit-ins to the freedom rides, Halberstam's book covers the map of the crusade for racial equality, serving as a poignant reminder that heroes come in all ages, colors, and characters.

From Website: “Clara Estelle Breed, or Miss Breed, was the Children's Librarian at the San Diego Public Library from 1929 to 1945. Miss Breed was fond of all children, including the many Japanese American children and teenagers who frequented the East San Diego Branch Library… The day of their departure at the San Diego train station, Miss Breed distributed stamped and addressed postcards to her young friends, asking them to write to her and describe their life in camp.” A sample of those letters, information about life in the camps, and information about Miss Breed is found here. See also the book: Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During WWII and a Librarian Who Made a Difference.

This book is based on the postcards/letters received by San Diego librarian Miss Breed, who gave stamped self-addressed postcards to children she knew when they were forcibly removed to incarceration camps because of their ethnicity during WWII. See also the website www.janm.org/exhibits/breed/title.htm

The lives of 8 people who hide in an attic for 2 years in Amsterdam to escape capture by the Nazis.

The lives of 8 people who hide in an attic for 2 years in Amsterdam to escape capture by the Nazis..

The lives of 8 people who hide in an attic for 2 years in Amsterdam to escape capture by the Nazis.

Jean Fritz includes historical accounts of the early years of the Jamestown colony and dealings between the English and the native peoples. She sets a rich context for what is known of the life of Pocahontas, who played an unusual role as a bridge between cultures in her 21-year life. Such a historical account is an important book for anyone who has seen the Disney movie.

Elizabeth Blackwell steps into the male world of medicine and carves out a place for herself.

Emphasizes forgiveness in the life of the Indian man who led his country to freedom from British rule through nonviolent resistance.

Beautifully illustrated picture book of Gandhi’s life—being thrown off the train and developing satyagraha (“truth force” or “soul force”), aspects of his family, the nonviolent resistance actions he led against injustice until his death.

Award-winning depiction of Gandhi's life in England, South Africa, and India where he was in the midst of drastic changes.

The Indian leader whose nonviolent passive resistance tactics influenced reformers in other countries.

How Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose father wanted another preacher-son, managed to find her own voice despite the lack of legal and social rights for women.

These volumes include a short biography and sketch of heroes/heroines, along with three different episodes from their lives (each two-three pages). After each episode there is a saying related to a value, a scripture, and some questions for you to think about together.
Fascinating glimpses into the lives of people who were taking their faith seriously.
Vol. 1: Gladys Aylward (missionary to China), William and Catherine Booth (Salvation Army founders), David Livingston, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, Mary Slessor (missionary to Calabar--southern Nigeria), William Tyndale, Harriet Tubman, and more.
Vol. 2: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Elizabeth Fry (Friend ministering in prisons), Festo Kivengere (Uganda), Eric Liddell, Watchman Nee (China), John Newton, John Perkins, Amanda Smith (African-American ministering in England, India, and the U.S.), Corrie ten Boom, David Zeisberger (minister among Native Americans), and more.
Vol. 3: Mary McLeod Bethune (African-American educator), William Bradford, George Washington Carver, Betty Greene (missionary pilot), Lottie Moon (China), Luis Palau (South America), St. Patrick, Rochunga Pudaite (India), Mother Teresa, and more.
Vol. 4: Ricky and Sherialyn Byrdsong, Ben Carson (African-American surgeon), Eliza Davis George (Liberia), C. S. Lewis, Samson Occom (Native American), Panditi Ramabai (India), Joy Ridderhof (Gospel Recordings), Romulo Saune (Peru), John and Betty Stam (China), and more.