Jeremy Gilley

"Peace One Day" is a book about a man's journey in creating an official peace day where there is a global cease-fire so that peace can be promoted and wounded families can be reached out to in warring countries. The man meets with important people of the UN, presidents, and other highly praised people of authority from different countries.

The author did a phenomenal job in his use of pictures in a collage format with mixed media. Some illustrations include handwritten notes, photos, clip art, paintings, and drawings. The text presented his thought process and order of events very clearly.

For example, he states that "a crushing letter arrived. It was from the Costa Rican government, saying that they were not going to sponsor the resolution after all. I couldn't believe it. I was so upset that I felt like giving up." The illustrations use a palette of blues to represent the helpless feeling the man endured at the time.

Another example of his thought process being shown clearly is when he said, "Our film was affecting people. One person who saw it did more than I could have imagined. I couldn't believe it when I received a reply from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, telling me that he'd written to eleven heads of state, demonstrating his full support". The excitement of this news is presented by sharing a huge illustration of the Dalai Lama's letter across one and a half pages.

I also love the positive messages that are shared such as, "Individuals can make a difference and if each of us did our bit, collectively we will make a major contribution" and "When you build a house, you start with one brick. If we want to build peace, we should start with one day. And that day has arrived". This book confronts the devastation violence brings and how to go about it. This book brings hope.

The collaboration between the illustrations and the content of the text have a strong connection. The entire process of creating a holiday for world peace is presented very clearly with strong emotional ties. This book is very well put together.… (altro)

The book Peace One Day obviously gave me a positive reaction because it was about a single person that cared enough to form relations with countries in order to bring the change of peace to the world. The motto of having to start with one day in hope to lead to peace 365 day a year. This book captured the journey of Jeremy (the author) to create one day of peace worldwide; a day of global cease-fire and non-violence day. But as I continued to read I realized this journey took place before and during 9/11. Meaning that this day of peace has suppose to have been occurring since 2002. At this point in the book I was sadden to know that I had never heard of this day. Peace One Day is Sept 21 (today as I am writing this) and it makes me wonder why the push for this day has not continued over the years. The message from this book is positive for anyone who reads it, young or old. The brave journey of meeting with high ranking individuals from different countries and trying to make them agree to all support one day of peace is quite an undertaking. I give kudos to Jeremy for going through and making this a goal for this day to be nationalized, but now it is our duty to make people aware again.

The point of this book is to describe that no matter who you are: famous, poor, young, or old you can make a difference in the world based on the interaction and the choices you make. By having an idea and committing to it with all your heart, it is possible to make a difference whether it is small or large. The message is that anyone can make a difference as long as you commit to the outcome.… (altro)