Eleanor Morse is an educator and author of four novels. White Dog Fell from the Sky was a Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week; An Unexpected Forest won the 2008 Independent Book Publisher's Award for best regional fiction and the 2008 Maine Literary Award. She is on the faculty of Spalding University's School of Creative and Professional Writing and lives on a small island off the coast of Maine. https://www.eleanormorse.com
The Power of Non-Violence: The Enduring Legacy of Richard Gregg (Loom Press, 2020)
John Wooding’s excellent and compelling book about Richard Gregg is beautifully researched and written, and as I read, I grew fonder and fonder of Richard Gregg--and of author John Wooding’s father, too. Wooding interweaves the stories of two modest, deeply moral, intelligent men. The telling of their stories seemed true to them--the tone eschewed ego and hyperbole, and told the truth of their courage and willingness to put themselves at risk for what they ardently believed. The book could not be more timely.
Although Gregg struggled with his reserve, his diffidence increased my sense of his innate courage. He was indefatigable in questioning what to make of his life, how he could best communicate Ghandi's message and add to it in meaningful ways.
It was interesting that "singing, folk dancing, and meditation" were so central to Gregg's message for pacifist culture. I believe he's right that community sustains a movement, and community is not just push, push, fight, fight, push, push some more. I especially liked what Gregg said: "We have got to begin building in the midst of our warlike world a lot of little ad hoc experimental organizations and expressions of the unity of mankind."
I very much liked, too, what the author said (referring both to his father and Gregg): "...both were genuinely horrified by the impact of capitalism on working people...They also both embraced some of the fundamental tenets of cooperation and mutual aid through education and work." The system they abhorred seems at the core of where we find ourselves today--rich take all, others scramble for what's left.
I was amazed to discover that after only two days, the Sheppard Peace Movement received 2500 responses, which swelled to 135,000 men who vowed "to renounce war and never again to support another." I had no idea that the Peace Pledge Union movement was this robust.
This is a remarkable book about a man who in a quiet way has had such an enormous impact on pacifist thought and action.