Mohandas Gandhi believed peaceful resistance could provoke powerful changes. After experiencing and witnessing injustices, he sought to end British rule of India and return power to its people. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. also peacefully protested laws that kept Black people in the south from voting or exercising other rights. He rallied thousands to protest with him and inspired them with his speeches.

While these two men lived at different times in history on different continents, each chose to confront oppression not through violence, but through steadfast resolution to challenge unjust laws. Threads of Peace: How Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World by Uma Krishnaswami tells the stories of their lives, their remarkable accomplishments, and their lasting legacies.

Krishnaswami is a great storyteller who reveals how their upbringing and experiences influenced how these men saw the world and chose to act. She reveals their flaws as well as their better characteristics, how they succeeded and how they failed. Interestingly, she also includes information about the lives of the men who assassinated them.

There’s a timeline of historical events that’s helpful at the back of the book, and other extensive resources including a glossary, bibliography, source list, and an index. Also, the book itself is beautiful, with many historic photos and other material that help to bring the men and the times they lived in to life.

I highly recommend Threads of Peace for readers aged 9 and up.