10 NEW BOOKS & APPS FOR PEACE

We’ve collected the top ten books and apps for peace to start off this week.

 

Image: Courtesy of Paradigm Publishers.

 

1) WATCHING HUMAN RIGHTS: THE 101 BEST FILMS

 

Film has the power to transport us far away into a fantasy world. But perhaps, even more powerful, is documentary film’s ability to bring us closer to humanity. Film can bring us to places and into conditions we could never otherwise reach.

 

When film brings us face to face with injustice, when it shows us human suffering, when it shows how human rights are stomped upon, it has, perhaps risen to its highest calling.

 

“Watching Human Rights: The 101 Best Films,” by Mark Gibney, uses The Universal Declaration of Rights as framework to discuss human rights themes in film.

 

The book includes photos from feature and documentary films keyed to human rights principles, together, illustrating the arc of the story about the struggle for human dignity.

 

(Publisher: Paradigm Publishers 2013)

Image: Courtesy of Paradigm Publishers.

 

2) AND THE HEALING HAS BEGUN: A MUSICAL JOURNEY TOWARDS PEACE IN NORTHERN IRELAND

 

“And the Healing Has Begun: A Musical Journey towards Peace in Northern Ireland,” by Katrin Pietzonka, focuses on the three decades of gut-wrenching violence that ripped through Northern Ireland, known as the “Troubles,” as it shaped Northern Irish society and its people.

 

The music and art produced during this time, which began in the 1960’s, offers a passionate documentary of this painful transformation, from the bloodbaths to the return to peace.

 

From Mickey McConnells “Only our Rivers Run Free” and Phil Coulter’s “The Town I Loved So Well” and Tommy Sands’ “There Were Roses,” to  Paul McCartney's “Give Ireland back to the Irish,” U2s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and James Taylor's “Belfast to Boston,” the music soundtrack follows the dramatic arc of the Northern Ireland story.

 

(Publisher: Authorhouse, 2013)

Image: Courtesy of Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

 

3) PEACE

 

The eternal quest for peace is addled with the eternal question of “How can we learn to live in peace?” Wendy Anderson Halperin, explores it in her own way in her new book, “Peace.”  She shares her findings, inspirations, and expressions, with beautifully intricate watercolor illustrations and a powerful collection of quotes from famous peacemakers.

 

(Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2013)

Image: Courtesy of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

 

4) THE NONVIOLENCE HANDBOOK: A GUIDE FOR PRACTICAL ACTION

 

Our endless stream of news about wars and terror lead us to forget that three of the 20th century’s most monumental revolutions achieved their aims through nonviolent action as led by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela.

 

“The Nonviolence Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action,” by renowned peace activist Michael Nagler examines nonviolence as it succeeds through aggressively strategic and sustained action. This powerful book asserts that nonviolence demands greater courage and discipline than violence.

 

This action-oriented handbook offers both guidance for nonviolent resistance and advice for building constructive peace movements.

 

(Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2014)

Image: Courtesy of Piscataqua Press.

 

5) TEACH US THAT PEACE

 

“Teach Us That Peace,” the first novel by poet Baron Wormser, is a coming of age story about a Jewish boy and his mother as they experience the shifting cultures of Baltimore in the 1960’s, as whites and African Americans began to renegotiate their equity in society.

 

"Wormser, a poet, has a miraculous ability to evoke a sense of time and place, and he adeptly conjures a Baltimore 'emphatically below the Mason-Dixon line' with gorgeous prose and thorough scholarship." -- Kirkus Reviews

 

(Publisher: Piscataqua Press/RiverRun Select, 2013)

Image: Courtesy of Minerva Endeavors.

 

6) THE PEACE APP  

 

The Peace App is a simple tool that helps you to maintain your own personal peace practice, which may include yoga, meditation, prayer and other forms of mindfulness.

 

The app’s Activities page offers a variety of methods, visuals, and music (or silence), or upload your own inspirational media. Block out some time for peace. Set a timer. And dive in.

 

And, since we are all interconnected, and peace is a collective condition, the app helps us connect with other, peaceful people. The map page shows you the locations, activities and time of members intending peace so you can connect with them. You can become part of the collective wave of peace.

 

App users can also enjoy the Visionaries for Peace monthly audio “Peace-casts.” Push notifications will alert you to available Peace casts and you will be invited to participate at a set time, joining others around the world for a collective meditation.

 

You can download the App from iTunes or the iOS appstore.

 

Minerva Endeavors, Inc. (2013)

Photo: Courtesy of HeartMath Inc.

 

7) INNER BALANCE

 

The Inner Balance™ app, by HeartMath, gets you all  in sync and in a peaceful place. Your heart, mind, body and soul get more in balance, so you can be healthier, happier, and more productive.

 

The Inner Balance Sensor for iOS connects to your iPhone or iPad, and clips to your earlobe to measure your heart rhythms. No other technology on the market today can track you with such accuracy.

 

Just check in on your Inner Balance trainer three times a day for three to five minutes. It’s easy and fun. It will guide you, measure your progress as you reduce stress, increase your inner balance and coherence, boost your mental clarity, and build your resilience. Wow! You could find inner peace in no time flat!

 

Here’s what you get:

 

TOOLS:

 

• Real time HRV monitoring

• On-screen Coaching

• Full history to track your progress

• Scientifically validated stress management technique

• A journal with mood choosing option

• Sharing capability to inspire others
   

HEARTCLOUD:

 

• Synchronize all your iPhone, iPad, and desktop emWave applications

• Track your complete history

• Receive awards and reminders

• Have access to more tips and training
   

BENEFITS:

 

• Neutralize stressful reactions that erode health and composure

• Reduce fatigue and exhaustion

• Improve mental focus under pressure

• Quickly shift from reactive states to calm and balanced states

• Learn to quiet the mind and still restless thoughts

• Builds resilience and faster recovery from stress

Image: Courtesy of Heinemann.

 

8) MANDELA AND TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION: DAYS OF DECISION

 

One of the most significant forces of peace in our lifetime, Nelson Mandela, just passed on to another place in our universe recently. We are still in mourning. The world is still feeling the gap from his loss. Many books have and will be written about his legacy and his journey. But all must focus on his laser-sharp mission of peace --- peace that can only be realized by equality and humanity.

 

“Mandela and Truth and Reconciliation: Days of Decision,” by Cath Senker looks at the decision process and the ultimate outcomes that Mandela resolved as he tried to navigate the treacherous storms of the world in the midst of apartheid.

 

He had choices. He had advice. He had precedent and history. And he had many conflicting factions that needed to feel satisfied.This book looks at the decision path Mandela traversed, as he changed the reality of his country and the world. It looks at how this great man brought peace to a violent angry land.

 

(Publisher: Heinemann, 2013)

Image: Courtesy of McClellan Creative.

 

9) DODGING RAINDROPS: POEMS AND PROSE OF BEAUTY, PEACE, AND HEALING

 

I haven’t figured out how to dodge raindrops. But in my frequent time in London, I’ve come to accept them. Many Londoners go about their day without benefit of umbrella, despite the almost certain chance that raindrops will fall upon their heads.

 

Life happens. And sometimes it is with rain. If you make peace with it, you can find beauty in it, as Loretta Boyer McClellan has in "Dodging Raindrops," her inspiring collection of 28 poems and prose selections.

 

McClellan celebrates nature’s majesty and tranquility with haiku and Tanka in this book, as well as with her artwork in other realms.

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Photo: Courtesy of Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies.

 

10) PEACE: Rhythm of My Heart Thupten Tendhar

 

Thupten Tendhar’s heart beats differently, depending on where he travels. But regardless, he is focused on peace. He works at URI Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies, and has dedicated his life to promoting peace, wisdom and compassion. Tendhar’s poetry is all about Peace & Harmony, Freedom & Justice, and Love & Life.

 

Find your peaceful rhythm, swaying in a hammock or dipping your toes in a sparkling pool, reading Tendhar’s poetry and feeling his sentiment in "Peace: Rhythm of My Heart."

 

(Publisher: Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies, 2013)

 

Photo: Courtesy of Magnetic Poetry.

 

LITTLE BOX OF PEACE

 

Magnetic poetry is kitschy, clever and oh so addictive. This one is all about peace. It comes in a little tin, for safekeeping. If only universal peace could come so conveniently packaged.

 

Photo: Reji. Doves.

Read more about Beautiful Peace, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact in our posts throughout this week.

 

Spread some peace and share your beautiful vision. Enter this week’s BN Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Peace. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 12.29.13.

 

Photo: Courtesy of InterActiveMediaSW.

 

Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. And we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got! Now closed for entries. Judging is in progress. Finalists announced and voting begins 01.02.14.