Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America
Frustrated with an increasingly polarized social landscape, award-winning photographer John Noltner set out on a 40,000-mile road trip across the United States to rediscover the common humanity that connects us. He did so by asking people one simple question: "What does peace mean to you?" Through difficult conversations, gentle humor, and a keen eye for beauty, Noltner's Portraits of Peace captures a rich collage of who we are as a nation.
Beautiful storytelling and captivating photography converge to offer a uniquely human and accessible examination of the social issues that most challenge us today, such as racial equality, immigration reform, LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, freedom of religion, and tolerance. Through the real-world stories of ordinary citizens who choose, in the midst of difficult circumstances, to pursue healing, reconciliation, and community building, we discover a glimmer of hope that something better is possible.
Portraits of Peace offers a promising road map to a peaceful future as a pluralistic society.
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John Noltner is a gifted storyteller and photographer who has worked on four continents, gathering accounts of human courage, grace, and resilience. His work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Forbes, Midwest Living, and New York Daily News. His series A Peace of My Mind has been produced as two award-winning books and four exhibits that travel the country for presentations such as the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Everyday Democracy, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Gandhi-King Conference on Nonviolence. John, his wife Karen, and their dog Bailey have pulled up their anchor in Bloomington, Minnesota, and taken their life on the road full-time in search of stories of hope, healing, and transformation.
"Getting to know each other's personal stories is one of the best ways to bridge our deep divides and reclaim the power of 'We the People'; this book gives us that chance. Portraits of Peace also gives us a chance to correct the lenses through which we look at others, and get back in touch with our shared humanity." --Parker J. Palmer, author of Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and On the Brink of Everything
"John Noltner artfully weaves his own story and experiences with those of hundreds of people he has encountered or interviewed, and, perhaps most importantly, whose stories he has helped tell. These stories challenge us, expand us, surprise us, and push all of us to become more human." --Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary
"John Noltner knows three things about stories: people have them; people need to be heard; people need to listen. In this latest collection of stories, he comforts and challenges, he shows the fractured stories and the flourishing ones, he shares stories that contract and stories that expand. In this, he is a curator of the thing that might save us: our capacity to tell; our capacity to listen; our capacity to change." --Pádraig Ó Tuama, host of "Poetry Unbound" from On Being, and author of In the Shelter and Borders and Belonging
"Portraits of Peace offers so much hope for our weary hearts. I can't imagine a better book for our fractured time." --Jennifer Louden, author of Why Bother? and The Woman's Comfort Book
"At a time when our world is filled with both kindness and cruelty, Portraits of Peace provides us with a mirror to witness the world as it is, and also a lens to imagine what the world can become." --The Rev. Dr. Brian E. Konkol, Dean of Hendricks Chapel and Professor of Practice, Syracuse University
"John Noltner's art is rich without being extractive; it's morally clear without being preachy. This stems from John himself, who walks through the world with a discerning wide-eyedness and deep compassion." --Barry Yeoman, journalist
"The book skillfully succeeds in constructing a narrative of hope by revealing the lives and faces of those dedicated to breaking the cycle of conflict. John Noltner's work offers a profound awareness of what it means to be human." --Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project
"John Noltner's elegant exploration of the many dimensions of peace is balm for the soul, especially in our contentious times. This book inspires all of us to look for the dignity and light in every person we meet." --Rabbi Amy Eilberg, spiritual director, kindness coach, peace and justice educator, and author of From Enemy to Friend: Jewish Wisdom and the Pursuit of Peace
"Nolter's Portraits of Peace provides a new, life-giving lens. Read its words, rest your eyes on the faces portrayed on its pages, and let it lead your heart on a powerful journey from polarization to peace." --Jacqueline A. Bussie, author of Love Without Limits and Outlaw Christian
"This book is for those who care about people and their stories and those who want to do the work of 'storycatching' themselves." --Howard Zehr, director emeritus of the Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice
