Atop Addy's powerful oil-and-collage portraits heightened with passionate swirls of brushwork, Winter pays fervent tribute to 14 nonviolent crusaders. Beginning with the Big Three--Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.--but then going on to the lesser-known likes of Pashtun leader Abdul Ghaffar Khan, El Salvador's Oscar Romero and Afghani activist Meena Keshwar Kamal, he briefly describes the condition, cause or organization with which each designated hero is most closely associated and highlights some of their acts. He tends to avoid their (often violent) deaths and on occasion delivers debatable generalizations--until Jesus, for example, "everyone thought you were supposed to hate and fight your enemies"--but young readers in need of role models will be hard put to find more courageous, selfless examples than this roster offers. A good complement to Anne Sibley O'Brien and Perry Edmond O'Brien's After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance (2009). (Collective biography. 9-12)

This book is about 14 ordinary people ?doing their best to protect other ordinary people from being killed without even using a weapon. They would die for their cause, but they would not kill for their cause.? The author?s explanation of the word ?hero? is also included in the introduction. Seven men and seven women are highlighted, some well- known such as Jesus, Gandhi, and Sojourner Truth, and some not as famous such as Carrie ten Boom, Ginetta Sagan, and Oscar Romero. Many are human rights leaders, including the founder of Amnesty International. The time period ranges from BC to the present day. The profile for each person gives the years of birth and death, a portrait, and a brief introduction. It would have been helpful to add ?books for further reading? and/or websites. The list is not chronological or alphabetical and there is no index. Beautiful acrylic and oil softly-colored collages and luminous illustrations enhance the text. Although the text may not be understandable for the youngest readers, it could be used as a read-aloud to introduce a unit on heroes. Recommended. Rita Fontinha, Educational Reviewer, West Bridgewater, Massachusetts

"We need a set of heroes who do not hurt people," writes Winter (The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan) in his introduction to 14 short biographies of figures who have embraced nonviolence, each portrayed by Addy (Amelia to Zora: 26 Women Who Changed the World) in stirring, sepia-toned collages. Some are well-known (Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton), but many may be unfamiliar, like Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Pashtun activist who led nonviolent demonstrations against British colonial rule, and Rwandan Paul Rusesabagina, who saved more than 1,200 Tutsis from slaughter. In places, Winter sidesteps violence (Dr. King's assassination is not mentioned), but dark moments remain (in Khan's biography, "The soldiers shot down line after line of the demonstrators until they couldn't stand shooting anymore"). Winter handles religious content with care, but some problems defy simple treatment. The entry for Jesus of Nazareth acknowledges that some "believe he did not exist at all," while arguing for his historical existence and reminding readers that nonviolence is the essence of Christianity. Still, as a signpost to a richer understanding of peace, the collection has genuine value. Ages 9-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

Gr 3-5-The eclectic group of people featured here includes figures from the distant past (Jesus of Nazareth) as well as contemporary people (Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi). Some, like Martin Luther King, Jr. are famous, while others, such as Abdul Ghaffar Khan, are obscure. These diverse individuals are united thematically in that each chose a path in life to help others through nonviolent means, often at great personal risk, and often paying the ultimate price. These are important and inspirational figures, but the book is heavily message-driven, with Winter often oversimplifying or offering opinions as facts. When speaking of Sojourner Truth, he states that she preached "what she knew to be the truth against slavery and the racism that caused slavery to happen." Many other factors also led to the rise of slavery in the U.S. Stating that "most people in other countries think that America has done more harm than good in Iraq" is not backed up by any references to respected reporting agencies. In fact, no sources are supplied for any of the information or thoughts and feelings attributed to these people. The book's design also contributes to the heavy-handed approach, with words such as "sacrifice" and "risk" appearing in an inch-tall font at the top or bottom of the pages. Addy's oil and collage paintings have a burnished look to them, and would have been even more powerful without the distracting lettering. This is a well-intentioned volume, but it fails when it comes to the "show, don't tell" principle of good writing.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.