Customer Reviews

Architects of Peace: Visions of Hope in Words and Images

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This book is brilliant. I have bought several copies, all before September 11 and now, more than ever, it's message is so important. This is a pivotal time in history and this book could be a bible for the times. If they can do it, we can. Michael Collopy is an Architect of Peace of the highest order himself. He is a beautiful photographer and an inspired visionary. I highly recommend this book for absolutely EVERYONE on your holiday shopping list.

Both humble and humbling, these essays not only document how far we have come as a world civilization, but also how far we still have to go.

"Many books inspire my mind -- but this one opens the heart!" ---Steve McCardell, New Times Magazine

Photographer Callopy sets out to bring over seventy of the world's peacemakers in one book: Architects of Peace pairs his photos with their words and opinions, examining cultural and social differences, changes, and achievements of the past century. Much more than an art title, this embraces modern peacemakers and their work.

I just purchased eight copies of this beautiful book as my primary holiday gift for friends and family. This stunning work succeeds on several levels: First - These are some of the most beautiful black and white portraits I've seen in years. They look deceptively simple but if you study them for a few minutes you begin to see directly into the soul of the subject; Second - The accompanying text, written personally by each subject, is thoughtful and provocative, and gives further insight into each individual; Third - The book is more politically balanced than most, including more than one point of view, leading to intense discussions and soul-searching among the readers - something I find positive and extremely productive; Fourth - This is a wonderful book for families to enjoy together as it is appropriate for all ages; Fifth - This book left me full of feelings of hope in a world filled with dread, not something that can be said of many books.

I bought this as a gift last year, and keep buying more. This beautiful anthology in photos (b&w) of the world's great peacemakers along with thier own moving thoughts and reflections is a masterpiece of photography and words, but much more. To see these great people and hear their visions is insightful, thought provoking, stunning, moving, and inspiring.
With the recent events of September 2001, it is even more poignant.
A must see to appreciate. It is the kind of book you will cherish and share. A great gift for educators, healers, leaders, young people, baby boomers, and everyone in between who thinks, and all who desire a better humanity. But one word of caution, if you buy it as a gift, get two- you are likely to keep one for yourself.
A truly memorable tribute to the ability of single individuals from diverse backgrounds to make a difference...to unite with strength of purpose and vision in the goal of a more peaceful world.

Cesar Chavez (pictured on the lower right hand cover of this book) and Arun Gandhi are two men who have been very important in my spiritual journey through life, and both are featured in this book.

Arun Gandhi is the Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and Arun now heads the "M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence" in Memphis, TN. I had the honor of meeting Arun Gandhi at a retreat several years back, and he has remained an important part of my life ever since; he has helped me better understand the world and better understand my life and the people involved in my life, and he has taught me that being "peaceful" and non-violent truly entails more than just refusing to fight and feeling good about onself.

As a little boy, from age four to age six, I lived with my family at "Colegio Cesar Chavez" in Mt. Angel, Oregon. Colegio Cesar Chavez was a "college without walls" program and in its day (1973-1983) it was the only "chicano" four-year college in the nation. It had correspondence students from as far away as New York and Canada. Cesar Chavez paid two visits to the campus, and I became quite emotional when my mother recently informed me that I had had the honor to actually meet him during one of the visits (of course, I was too young at the time to have known who I was meeting). So, Arun Gandhi and Cesar Chavez have been important in my life, they are both featured in this book, and they are both Gandhian. I can't help but feel that this book was made for me personally (I mean that "rhetorically," of course), since it creates something of a "continuum" in my personal journey, added to the fact that I was born on the Mahatma's birthday.

Another man who has been important in my journey is also profiled in this book: Thich Nhat Hahn. He is a Zen monk who was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr. for a Nobel Prize. His books, such as PEACE IS EVERY STEP, are beautifully written and have had a huge impact on my life. His works have helped me see deeper into the world around me.

As for the layout of the book itself, it is beautiful. The photographs are crisp and clear and honest, and the text is inspiring. I confess that there is one specific person profiled in this book that I feel may not truly have deserved to be in this company as I feel his persona has been constructed with personal glorification as its main goal, but who am I to ultimately make such a judgment? We find inspiration where we need to, and I'm sure this specific individual has inspired many people.

Further books that may interest the reader of this book are:

THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN by Arun Gandhi; this is about Kasturba Gandhi, wife of the Mahatma.

COLEGIO CESAR CHAVEZ by Carlos Maldonado; this book is about the college named for Cesar Chavez, the one I lived at as a child.

NOSOTROS: THE HISPANIC PEOPLE OF OREGON by the Oregon Counsel for the Humanities; this book profiles the Hispanic population of Oregon and highlights Cesar Chavez's impact on them (a section devoted to "Colegio Cesar Chavez" is included, with a picture of Cesar Chavez visiting the campus).

PEACE IS EVERY STEP by Thich Nhat Hanh; in my opinion, this is his definitive work on spiritual insight and inner peace.

Michael Collopy's Architect's of Peace focuses on 75 individuals who can be credited with being change makers during their lifetimes pursuing a better world for all. The stunning portraits created by Mr. Collopy together with each person's statements regarding peace, thoughts on civilization's problems and solutions, appearing side by side, become at once a clarion call and a meditation to the reader. I was transfixed by the individuals' words and Mr. Collopy's riveting images. They are proof that all individuals have the power to make change happen. Each of us need only start.

While it's great that so many people have been able to focus on those several truly extraordinary people mentioned in this book, the fact that Margaret Thatcher is listed as an 'architect of peace' is like saying Stalin just wanted civil rights for everybody. This is the same woman who turned her back on the vast majority of Britons and was the embodiment of Reaganite self-centeredness. How many people are unaware of her response when asked about rising heating costs for the elderly in Britain: "They have hats, don't they?". Are we to believe she belongs in the same book as Mother Theresa??! What insanity! Her inclusion not only casts credibility on the authors, but undermines the genuine acts of peace that are enacted daily by the extraordinary presences of teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh and others.

There is much good in this book, but to equate some of the most advanced spiritual practitioners with the likes of Thatcher and several movie stars is grossly arrogant, and smacks of only wanting to hob-nob with the rich and famous.

Follow the advice of the lovely comments below and read their recommendations. Just don't buy this one.

In Architects Of Peace, photographer Michael Collopy set out to document the visions of over seventy of the world's great peacemakers - spiritual leaders, politicians, and artists alike. Architects Of Peace blends art and insights alike in a volume which blends his tritone photos of these people with essays reflecting their beliefs. From Jean-Michael Cousteau and Elie Wiesel to Joan Baez and others, this makes for a fine repersentation of images and tributes to peace.