Growing Peace

July 15, 2016
Large, full-color photographs accompany the true story of one man's efforts to bring together people of three religions by helping them create a Fair Trade-certified coffee-selling cooperative."As the sun sets in eastern Uganda, the blazing heat fades and a cool wind settles in the valley." This opening, which continues with information about work and play in the "small, dusty village of Namanyonyi," sits beneath a photo showing children playing soccer (called futbol in the text) in the twilight. Opposite this, there is a map that shows the route of coffee beans from Namanyonyi to the port of Mombasa. After a few more pages about contemporary life in rural Namanyonyi, the text backtracks to tell how all three Abrahamic religions arrived in the area. Next, the musician J.J. Keki is introduced, along with his inspiration for starting the cooperative: both his near miss from being victimized by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, on a visit to the United States from his native Uganda, and the tolerant children of Namanyonyi. The text discusses the coffee cooperative's history, looks at Fair Trade, and contains a basic primer on the art of coffee farming. Sobol's text is accessible and graceful, and the numerous, captivating photographs take readers to Namanyonyi, its places of worship, and the coffee plantation. Work, faith, and joy are equally celebrated. The tone of the book is hopeful and inspiring. A welcome addition to children's nonfiction from a master photojournalist. (author's note, glossary, sources) (Nonfiction. 7-12)

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September 1, 2016
Grades 4-7 Sobol's account of the Peace Kawomera Growers co-op in Uganda is an uplifting story of community and religious harmony that is all the more inspiring when considered against the country's history of civil unrest. Tracing the co-op's roots, he introduces its founder, J. J. Keki, who is a coffee grower, musician, and religious leader in his eastern Ugandan village of Namanyonyi. After personally witnessing the 9/11 attacks, Keki resolved that it wasn't enough for the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities of Namanyonyi to simply coexist; they must actively support one another. Thus he proposed the coffee growers co-op and worked tirelessly to convince farmers of all faiths to join. In just 11 years, it has grown from 250 members to more than 1,000. Well-chosen color photographs show Keki in his village, families harvesting and processing coffee, and smiling children, both in their places of worship and playing together. Sobol takes care to supply readers with necessary historical and religious context (documented in back matter) without burying the story's heartening message of peace.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2016

Gr 3-5-After witnessing the September 11 attacks, J.J. Keki-a musician, composer, and coffee farmer-was inspired to create change in his home village of Namanyonyi in Uganda. Keki wanted to foster religious tolerance in his community made up of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families. His solution was to form a coffee growers' cooperative and encourage the local farmers, regardless of their faith, to join and work together for better prices and bargaining power. Using the neighborhood children, Keki reached out to their parents, urging them to become part of the co-op. The venture started in 2005 with approximately 250 members. As of 2016, there are more than 1,000 members participating. Half- and full-page captioned color photos liberally illustrate the text, which also describes the process of growing and harvesting the coffee cherries. VERDICT A useful selection for primary social studies curricula interested in foreign agricultural initiatives.-Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

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