Medea Benjamin, founding director of Global Exchange, and Jodie Evans, a political activist for 30 years, are the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. Here is an excellent resource for all those who dream of a better world, not based on the politics of power, the military clout of shock and awe, or the imperialism of super-powers bringing destruction to other nations. The book contains a foreword by Alice Walker, an introduction by Arundhati Roy, and contributions by Barbara Ehrenreich, Amy Goodman, Arianna Huffington, Wangari Maathai, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Elise Boulding, and many others. It is broken into two parts: "A Passion For Peace," and "A Challenge to the Support Structure of War and Violence."

We were touched by Terry Tempest Williams' words on engaging our hearts for democracy:

"The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions. Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen with our whole being, not just our mind, and offer our attention rather than our opinion? And do we have enough resolve in our heart to act courageously, relentlessly, without giving up, ever — trusting our fellow citizens to join us in a determined pursuit of a living democracy? The heart is the house of empathy, whose door opens when we receive the pain of others. This is where bravery lives, where we'll find our mettle to give and receive, to love and be loved, to stand in the center of uncertainty with strength, not fear, understanding this is all there is. The heart is the path to wisdom because it dares to be vulnerable in the presence of power."