Kit Cummings was a rising star in his specialty, starting and revitalizing non-denominational churches. Then he hit rock bottom. This narrative chronicles his resurgence with a revolutionary peace program based on teachings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. In January, 2011, 12 men at Georgia’s Hays State Prison signed the first pledge of the program, promising to live peacefully for 40 days. The prisoners’ clear and raw desire for peace saw fights broken up and hits called off. It was not an immediate success, but the efforts and dedication eventually prevailed and roots took hold in the unlikely population, inspiring Cummings to persist there and at prisons throughout the country.
Cummings starts off slowly, going into intricate detail about many of the men in the beginning cycles of the peace pledge. He juxtaposes their admittedly violent pasts with their present desire to help the program and bring peace to what is now their home in an effective, if dramatic voice. Cummings effectively writes about a program based on faith and religion without alienating a lay audience. His raw enthusiasm is evident and inspirational in the narrative, as is his honest respect for the men in his program. He writes with a sincere empathy for the prisoners, their victims and society as a whole, making it easy for the reader to see why he has been so successful on a number of levels. Some detail really slows the momentum, especially at the beginning; and the chronological jumps are distracting, but the story as a whole is undeniably compelling. Though his depictions of the life behind the walls can be too lengthy, the stories of growth and peacefulness among inmates are remarkable as a whole.
PEACE BEHIND THE WIRE: A NONVIOLENT RESOLUTION is an inspiring story of peaceful success in a usually neglected and often violent population that lends credence to the belief that one person truly can affect change in society.
~IndieReader.