TEENS

This book reveals Sergio Vieira de Mello's powerful legacy of humanity and ideological strength in the context of his troubleshooting attempts in Lebanon in the aftermath of Israel's 1982 invasion; in his taming of the Khmer Rouge and his repatriation of four-hundred-thousand Cambodian refugees in the early nineties; in his efforts to negotiate an end to the slaughter in Bosnia; in his struggle to nation-build in war-torn societies during his quasi-colonial governorships of Kosovo and East Timor; and through his tragic final posting as the UN representative in Baghdad, where he became the victim of the country's first-ever suicide bomb.

Thoreau wrote this classic essay to advocate public resistance to the laws and acts of government that he considered unjust. The practical application of "Civil Disobedience" was largely ignored until the 20th century when, at different times, Modanda Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and anti-Vietnam War activists applied Thoreau's principles for their cause.

Photographs, many in before-and-after pairs, illustrate examples of environmental change, urbanization, land transformation, forces of nature, war and conflict, and leisure and culture.

In a time of death and terror, Leymah Gbowee brought Liberia's women together -- and together they led a nation to peace. In 2003, the passionate and charismatic Gbowee helped organize and then led the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat in public protest, confronting Liberia's ruthless president and rebel warlords, and even held a sex strike. With an army of women, Gbowee helped lead her nation to peace -- in the process emerging as an international leader who changed history.

Using examples of Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, Kurlansky argues that nonviolence is distinct from pacifism and when wielded properly, has tremendous power -- even the power to end wars. From ancient to modern times, Kurlansky shows how nonviolence has frequently been the best solution to conflicts, yet was and is often considered a dangerous notion.