Peace Reader: Essential Readings on War, Justice, Non-Violence and World Order, edited by Joseph Fahey and Richard Armstrong

Peace Reader: Essential Readings on War, Justice, Non-Violence and World Order contains 475 pages of selective readings including documents, statements, case studies, letters, essays, points of view, and non-violent strategies for social change and national security. It is divided into four sections:  War and the Arms Race; Justice for All; Non-Violence: Philosophy and Strategy;  Other Forms of Conflict Resolution; and World Order.  Each of the sections has a variety of writings on various aspects of the main topic, each of them preceded by an introduction and followed by  questions for discussion.  It is a valuable resource for high school and college courses, for adult education programs, and for individuals dedicated to peacemaking.

To indicate the thorough treatment of each topic, here are the titles included in Section One, War and the Arms Race:  The Causes of War; Escalation of Arms Races; Military Spending and Economic Decay; Militarism in America; Deep Roots of the Arms Race; Nuclear Terror: Moral Paradox; ROTC Today and Tomorrow; Investigation of New Conflicts and Defense; Military Service; and The Conscientious Objector.

Of the letters written, you will find most interesting three of them in Section Two on Justice for All:  Chief Seattle's message to President Pierce, on his acceptance of the request to sell his tribal lands to the U.S. Government (in which he says that to his people, all land is sacred and they cannot understand how anyone can "own" land, but that yes, he would agree to sell it to the "Great Chief in Washington"…as he knows that if they do not accept the offer, it will be taken from them by force); a long letter by Martin Luther King from a Birmingham Jail (explaining  to his fellow-clergymen  the urgency of taking action in the form of demonstrations to achieve social justice for Black people); and a letter of William Penn to the Delaware Indians, (offering peace and signed with "I am your loving friend.") 

You will find this peace compendium a treasure, informative and  thought-provoking.