As Mideast crisis rages, August 1-6 Read For Peace Week offers hope

Coralville Iowa —- The August 1-6 International Read For Peace Week kicking off in Dubuque Iowa will x-ray the ongoing Middle East crisis at its August 1-3 Dial-An-Author-Reading featuring US, Canadian and UK authors, and its 5.30pm August 4 “Building Bridges of Peace Through Books” symposium which examines how co-authoring books by nationals of warring nations, and translating and donating nonviolent books to poorest countries of the world, among others, can push frontiers of world peace especially in the Middle East.

Featured speakers include Sir Rateb Rabie, president of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation Maryland, which pleads the cause of Palestinian Christians, and Dr. Leon Hesser, former director of US government’s global efforts to increase food production in developing countries, whose authorized biography of Nobel Peace laureate Norman Borlaug, “The Man Who Fed The World” has foreword by President Jimmy Carter and endorsements by President George H.W. Bush and former presidential hopeful Dr. George McGovern.

Coralville Iowa-based organizers, Family Reading Ministries, Inc., posit there has never been a better time for books, book industry professionals and book lovers to champion the cause of peace than now when statistics by US-based book tracking firm, R.R. Bowker, show there have been significant increases in published books, publishers and the revenue derived from book sales.

"The book trade should, for instance, actively encourage co-authoring and publishing of nonviolent books by nationals of Israel and Lebanon or Palestine, and translate and donate nonviolent books to people in the poorest regions of the world," opines Family Reading Ministries, Inc. founder Rev. Paschal Eze.

During the Week, peace-loving individuals around the world are encouraged to:

1) Read a nonviolent book for at least one hour with family, friends, colleagues and neighbors at homes, offices, public parks, nursing homes, orphanages, malls, churches, etc., in demonstration of their commitment and hope for peace;

2) Visit the Read For Peace Week page at www.readingspree.com and copy and share the very short peace message there with people on their mailing list;

3) Dial 1-7124323000 (pin:287993) at 1pm and 7pm CT on August 1-3 to chat with authors of conscience like Victoria Ryan, author of “When Your Pet Dies”, and “When Your Grandparent Dies”, award-winning Canadian author Joseph Simons whose book “Under a Living Sky” is on reconciliation, and British author Akeem Shomade whose books “The Fear Factor” is on overcoming fear, and former White House staff and award-winning author of two books Kristi Luv Wilson;

4) Take part in the 5.30pm August 4 discussions at the “Building Bridges of Peace Through Books” symposium at the community room of John Kennedy Mall Dubuque led by Dr Leon Hesser and Sir Rateb Rabie;

5) Form “Read For Peace Clubs” in their schools and cities; and

6) If authors of conscience, come and read portions of their books to seniors at four Dubuque Iowa nursing homes on August 2-3.

For more information on these events and the various speakers, please visit event website http://www.readingspree.com or call Shanita at 1-3193519695.