Peacebuilders: Daisaku Ikeda Josei Toda Buddhist Leaders by M. LaVora Perry

Set in Japan during and after World War II, PEACEBUILDERS is the story of the evolution of a child of war into a seeker of peace who goes on to lead millions. It's the heartfelt story of the mentoring relationship that inspired this transformation. PEACEBUILDERS is available in paperback w/ black/white photos; paperback w/ color photos; hardcover/black and white; hardcover/color; and as a color e-book.### Long before Soka Gakkai leader Daisaku Ikeda befriended Rosa Parks, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela and over 1,600 other world figures, before he was awarded U.N. citations and more international and academic honors than anyone in human history, before he founded schools, universities, and cultural institutions on four continents, became the beloved teacher of millions of Buddhists worldwide, and became a culture icon throughout Asia...he was a young student. Daisaku Ikeda's teacher stood up against war and spoke out for human rights. His teacher was Josei Toda, a visionary elementary school principal.###PEACEBUILDERS: DAISAKU IKEDA & JOSEI TODA, BUDDHIST LEADERS opens on Tokyo Bay. One evening, nine-year-old Daisaku is playfully roughhousing with his oldest brother, Kiichi. The next morning, Daisaku waves good-bye as Kiichi leaves to fight in the war. Daisaku feels so proud of his brave big brother. Time passes. War turns Daisaku into a teenager in mourning. He wonders if everything he has believed is wrong. He is full of questions. Daisaku seeks a teacher who can answer them. In PEACEBUILDERS, readers discover how Daisaku met his teacher. They discover how a simple meeting changed a young man, and how that young man set out to change the world. PEACEBUILDRES includes a personal timeline with historical references, photography references, a bibliography, and a reader-friendly index.### PRAISE: "By showing how the transformation of the consciousness of an individual child can lead to him becoming a transformational leader, Ms. Perry has reconnected the openness of childhood to the possibilities of the world." -Roy Craft, Director, Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel, Morehouse College ### "...[a] carefully documented chapter book [that] makes Ikeda's story accessible to younger readers...a user-friendly resource." -Yana V. Rodgers, Director, Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children ### "The book [is] fascinating." -Suzanne Lieurance, author, writing coach, and host of Blog Talk Radio's "Book Bites for Kids," www.bookbitesforkids.com