Prophet - the Hatmaker's Son: The Life of Robert Muller [Hardcover]

Douglas Gillies (Author), LeeAnn Kendall (Editor), Lynda Rae (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2003

Robert Muller is recognized as one of the great peacemakers of the 20th century. He started out as the modest son of a poor hatmaker and was trained to follow in his father's footsteps. Life was simple in the French village of Sarreguemines in the 1930's, but as the tide turned to war, German teens started marching in formation across the Sarre River from Robert's home. In May 1940, Adolph Hitler invaded France and declared that all residents of Robert's village were now Germans. For the next three years, Robert maneuvered to avoid being drafted into the Nazi army while he studied Goethe, Schiller, and Descartes at the University of Heidelberg and learned to think like a global citizen. He even harnessed the power of his mind to induce appendicitis on the day before he was to be drafted. When all other options ran out, he fled to Vichy, France, on a midnight freight train, changed his name and joined the French Resistance. In this dramatic authorized biography, Robert Muller discovered on the battlefield that he was destined to be a peacemaker. On the night of the liberation of Lyon, Muller stood by a cemetery weeping for the young people whose lives were taken during his service in the Resistance. That night he swore he would devote his life to peace. After World War II, Muller dedicated his life to the United Nations, where he initiated economic and social programs that changed the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robert Muller has been an inspiration to countless people around the world. What a joy to read his life story." -- -Peter Russell, producer of Global Brain and White Hole in Time, testimonial

"Robert Muller has had a very large positive influence on me. He has a wonderful global outlook" -- Ted Turner,CNN, Testimonial

"When the true history of the Twentieth Century is told, Robert Muller's name will stand out." -- Jean Houston, Author, Jump TIme, testimonial

What keeps me hopeful is the knowledge that there are so many amazing people in this country and around the world who are helping, in little and big ways, to create a better life for us all. Although they are passionate about a diverse range of issues, this global army of volunteers and activists share a common dream for a better world, a world where peace prevails on earth. These workers for peace on earth whether they are celebrities or ordinary citizens are our real heroes.

One of my greatest heroes is a man that most people have never heard of. Robert Muller is one of the New Millennium's greatest minds for peace. He hasn't won the Nobel Peace Prize (although he has been nominated many times and has been honored by UNESCO with its Peace Education Prize), but he is a true visionary, having dedicated every waking and dreaming moment of the past 50 years to help the dream of a world at peace come true. His vision earned him respect as the Assistant Secretary-General to three United Nations Secretaries-General. It resulted in his co-founding the United Nations' University for Peace in Costa Rica, where he still serves as Chancellor Emeritus. It helped inspire Robert Muller schools all around the world that teach about peace and global education. It helped convince his friend Ted Turner to donate one billion dollars to the United Nations. And his many books and poems are filled with inspiration for all who wish for a better world. Robert Muller's vision is so clear that his 5000 Ideas and Dreams for a Better World create an amazing blue-print that will inspire peacemakers for generations to come.

Douglas Gillies' new biography about Dr. Muller, PROPHET: The Hatmaker's Son, reads like an adventure novel. The book begins in 1972 when Robert Muller, at the time Director of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is summoned to accompany UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim in a momentous visit to China to meet with Premier Chou En-Lai. Muller had already played an influential role in helping the previous UN Secretary-General U Thant advance the debate that in 1971 ultimately led to China's entry into the United Nations.

The book then goes back in time to 1929, when Robert was a child in the Alsace Lorraine region, which for centuries had been the center of a power struggle between France and Germany. His family album was filled with relatives in uniform but the uniform they wore depended on which country they were forced to pledge allegiance to at the time. As he grew up, Robert thought there had to be an alternative to the nationalism that sent young men to kill and die. When World War II broke out, he daringly tried to escape across the border to France to avoid being drafted into the German army, was captured by the Gestapo, escaped to France, joined the French Resistance, and witnessed first-hand the unfathomable atrocities of war. The horrors of modern warfare convinced Muller that humanity could not continue to go on solving its conflicts this way and survive.

After the war, while working on his law degree, he won an essay contest, which then led to an internship with the newly formed United Nations. The book ends with Robert's decision to leave home to work for the United Nations. --David Lorimer, founder Scientific and Medical Network

Prophet is a true story about a peacemaker who was born the son of a hatmaker Sometimes a good story will reveal something about the times in which we live. The life of Robert Muller makes sense of the 20th Century. Written like a suspense novel, the story begins in the middle of Robert Muller s career at the United Nations in 1972. Muller has been invited to China by the Chinese premier to attend the first visit by a UN Secretary General since China was admitted to the United Nations, an event described by none other than George Bush as a moment of infamy. When the Secretary General, Kurt Waldheim, asks about China s position on the Middle East, the Chinese Premier replies. You will still have it in a hundred years. Many readers have said they stayed up all night reading Prophet because they couldn t set it down. --Book Talk

It's not always easy to keep a positive outlook, especially in times like these. The world's only superpower, my government, is constantly making decisions that are sending us giant steps backwards in the progress humanity has made in creating a more peaceful, just and sustainable interconnected global community. What keeps me hopeful is the knowledge that there are so many amazing people in this country and around the world who are helping, in little and big ways, to create a better life for us all. Although they are passionate about a diverse range of issues, this global army of volunteers and activists share a common dream for a better world, a world where peace prevails on earth. These workers for peace on earth whether they are celebrities or ordinary citizens are our real heroes. One of my greatest heroes is a man that most people have never heard of. Robert Muller is one of the New Millennium's greatest minds for peace. He hasn't won the Nobel Peace Prize (although he has been nominated many times and has been honored by UNESCO with its Peace Education Prize), but he is a true visionary, having dedicated every waking and dreaming moment of the past 50 years to help the dream of a world at peace come true. His vision earned him respect as the Assistant Secretary-General to three United Nations Secretaries-General. It resulted in his co-founding the United Nations' University for Peace in Costa Rica, where he still serves as Chancellor Emeritus. It helped inspire Robert Muller schools all around the world that teach about peace and global education. It helped convince his friend Ted Turner to donate one billion dollars to the United Nations. And his many books and poems are filled with inspiration for all who wish for a better world. Robert Muller's vision is so clear that his 5000 Ideas and Dreams for a Better World create an amazing blue-print that will inspire peacemakers for generations to come. Douglas Gillies' new biography about Dr. Muller, PROPHET: The Hatmaker's Son, reads like an adventure novel. The book begins in 1972 when Robert Muller, at the time Director of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is summoned to accompany UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim in a momentous visit to China to meet with Premier Chou En-Lai. Muller had already played an influential role in helping the previous UN Secretary-General U Thant advance the debate that in 1971 ultimately led to China's entry into the United Nations. The book then goes back in time to 1929, when Robert was a child in the Alsace Lorraine region, which for centuries had been the center of a power struggle between France and Germany. His family album was filled with relatives in uniform but the uniform they wore depended on which country they were forced to pledge allegiance to at the time. As he grew up, Robert thought there had to be an alternative to the nationalism that sent young men to kill and die. When World War II broke out, he daringly tried to escape across the border to France to avoid being drafted into the German army, was captured by the Gestapo, escaped to France, joined the French Resistance, and witnessed first-hand the unfathomable atrocities of war. The horrors of modern warfare convinced Muller that humanity could not continue to go on solving its conflicts this way and survive. After the war, while working on his law degree, he won an essay contest, which then led to an internship with the newly formed United Nations. The book ends with Robert's decision to leave home to work for the United Nations and begin a life for peace. With the United Nations and rumblings of war at the forefront of today's headlines, Prophet: The Hatmaker's Son is a timely, inspiring story. Robert Muller is one of the most inspiring peacemakers you may never have heard of until now and Douglas Gillies' riveting biograph --Robert Alan Silverstein, Communications Manager for The Lifebridge Foundation, Associate Editor of The Bridging Tree,

About the Author

Douglas Gillies was born in California and raised in Ontario, Canada. He practiced law in the San Francisco Bay Area for sixteen years after graduating from UCLA.

In 1988, he organized Concensus Designs to produce town meetings and think tanks that follow Common Law principles to find solutions to complex problems. He produced six documentaries, including "On the Edge- a wake-up call" about the state of the world--featuring Mikhail Gorbachev, Jane Goodall, Ted Turner, Huston Smith, Oren Lyons, and Robert Muller.

He began documenting Robert Muller's life in 1994, first interviewing him for television and then producing Passion, an audiocassette where Muller talks about the meaning of life and death.

Gillies has two sons, Shane and Nathaniel, and lives in Santa Barbara, California. He is also the author of "101 Cool Ways to Die." (2009)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: East Beach Press; 1st edition (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970270534
• ISBN-13: 978-0970270535
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,817,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't wait for the film, November 28, 2002

By 

Dan Poynter "Author-Publisher-Speaker" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Prophet - the Hatmaker's Son: The Life of Robert Muller (Hardcover)

This is the story of an optimist who worked at the United Nations from its founding. Muller grew up on the German border, in occupied France and joined the Resistance. You will hear his story of World War II and the founding and growth of the UN.

Douglas Gillies is a gifted writer. He brings this story to life and makes this book a page-turner. He writes the story as through he was there himself.

Robert Muller has touched a lot of people. You can tell by the number of endorsement that have been gathered for this book.

I love history and I love this book. The story would make a great movie.

Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing.com

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PROPHET, June 16, 2003

By 

Carolyn Red Bear, Bear Paw's Enterprises (Lompoc, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prophet - the Hatmaker's Son: The Life of Robert Muller (Hardcover)

At first I hesitated in reading this book. Even after the first couple of chapters I wondered if I should continue. Politics is something I don't like to deal with, and reading about them is even harder. But something about PROPHET kept me wanting to know more. So I continued to read it to its completion, and I am so glad I did. I've heard the name "Robert Muller" but never knew anything about him. This book takes you through his life, and what made him who he was and how he formed his beliefs in this thing called "peace", and why he accepted the United Nations invite. To know that his beliefs were founded on events that he experienced, encountered, and/or observed makes his life more compelling to know. Douglas Gillies does an outstanding job relating not only Robert Mullers life, but the historical, spiritual, and self-knowledge significance that surrounds him. War and peace, two issues that Muller dealt with all his life, fighting against one, and for the other, are issues that all of us face and have to decide what we, ourselves, stand for. For Muller, peace was the overwhelming decision and one that very few can truly understand.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophet: The Hatmaker's Son, by Douglas Gillies, October 18, 2003

By 

Elliott C. Maynard (Sedona, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prophet - the Hatmaker's Son: The Life of Robert Muller (Hardcover)

In this outstanding book, Prophet, the Hatmaker's Son, author Doug Gillies provides a detailed and insightful portrayal of the earler life and times of Dr. Robert Muller...a legend of our times, who as a youth, experienced first-hand the social turbulance and heart-wrenching injustices of war from both the Allied and German perspectives.

Based on a series of in-depth interviews and insightful conversations with Dr. Muller, author Gillies has painted a series of realistic and emotionally sensitive collages which portray in humanistic detail the shifting cultural landscapes of Europe, as social stability become shattered and virtually every aspect of normal life is dramatically disrupted by the overwhelming impacts of World War II.

Following his youthful adventures as a French Resistance Fighter, Robert Muller launched his long and fruitful career as a Global Peacemaker. The grim realities and emotional turmoil he had experienced in the wartime environment, inspired him to make a soul commitment to himself...that he would dedicate his unique multilingual and intercultural abilities for the rest of his life to the cause of Conflict Resolution, Social Justice, and Global Peace. This book reveals the poignant details of this fascinating career odyssey, which eventually led Dr. Muller to become a key player in the formation and dynamic interplays of the United Nations theater...in his role as UN Assistant Secretary General.

As a result of his overriding quest to redirect the efforts of Mankind away from war and destruction, and into more peaceful and enlightened pursuits, Dr. Muller (regarded as the Father of Global Education) developed a unique "Core Curriculum," which formsd the basis for a number of Robert Muller Schools. He is also Co-Founder and Chancellor Emeritus for the University of Peace in Costa Rics.

In addition to being the recepient of numerous prestegious World Peace Awards, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize some 22 times!

For those individuals interested in realistic historical dramas, and the making of a legendary global leader, this book should have a broad audience appeal, and will most certainly enrich the literary experience of anyone who reads it.