This compilation of meditations, affirmations, invocations, poems and prayers for peace by the staff of HarperSanFrancisco had its origins during the early stages of the 1991 Gulf War. Carrie Leadingham, Joann E. Moschella, and Hilary M. Vartanian gathered material to spark people's interest in practicing peace. A quotation by Oscar Romero sets the tone of many others in this paperback:
"Peace is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity.
It is right and it is duty."
The book is divided into the following sections: (1) With Whom Shall We Live? (2) Silence Abides, (3) Mindfulness Must Be Engaged, and (4) Shelter Beneath the Tree. The variety of voices here is very appealing: Barbara Kingsolver, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Caldicott, Leo Tolstoy, Sam Keen, Vaclav Havel, and many others. Living up to its title, this collection uses a wide range of types of expression.
