Biographies

Warrior Grandma: The Story of Patricia Locke by Littlebrave Beaston is the latest title in the Change Maker series. Patricia Locke—whose Lakota name, Thawáchin Wašté Win, means “Compassionate Woman”—courageously fought for the equality of Indigenous people in the United States and around the world. She was not only a staunch advocate for the rights of Indigenous people but a loving mother and grandmother.

This book teaches the values of generosity, selflessness, and the importance of building strong family relationships. Readers will learn about how prejudice affects American Indians and how Patricia advocated for equal rights for Indigenous people during her lifetime. The book also discusses the qualities of leadership, the principle of consultation, and the importance of courage and perseverance in the face of oppression and attempted assimilation. Patricia acted as a bridge between two cultures—white and Indigenous—and, even in the face of overwhelming difficulties, she always demonstrated compassion toward others. She embodied the qualities of a true Change Maker.

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This book tells the story of a unique life, of one who was part of a turning point in history and left his indelible imprint on it. It encompasses the sweeping story of the development of the North American Bahá’í community between 1914 and 1959.

Horace Holley spent his energies and talents on building a better world, one he knew he would never live long enough to see. Yet this is not simply the story of someone who was exceptionally farsighted, it is the tale of a man who developed an unusual ability to read the times, to perceive and understand what was happening around him in the world and, through putting his thinking into words and action, set in motion revolutionary changes. He stood at the centre of many transitions: in the arts, in war and peace, but most of all, in the development of a new religion – the Bahá’í Faith.

Perhaps there is no more fitting occasion to revisit this beloved book by one of the great Bahá’í authors than the centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing. Within the pages of The Sheltering Branch Marzieh Gail offers a tribute to the life and teachings of the Master, highlighting His words and actions, and giving the reader a fleeting glimpse of the days in which He lived. Gail presents passages from the writings and talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and draws on the memoirs of her mother, Florence Breed Khan, who spent time in His presence as a pilgrim, to craft this lovingly rendered portrait.

This book turns a searchlight on the services and sacrifices of one of the Hands of the Cause of God who is less known in the West, but whose life story is unique. From a young age he had the honor of serving on Bahá’í administrative organizations in Iran, including the National Spiritual Assembly from its inception in 1934. He travelled internationally on several continents, particularly in Asia, presenting the essential contribution of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to universal peace, justice, education, and development. Shu‘a‘u’lláh ‘Alá’í’s many gifts of intellect and spirit, his candour and simplicity, as well as his sunny disposition, endeared him to many during his lifetime and will be newly appreciated by present-day readers.

Readers' Favorite® 5 Star Award Winner

Hazel Scott was a champion for civil and women’s rights. Born in Trinidad in 1920, she moved with her family to the United States in 1924. She was a musical wonder— studying and performing on the piano from the time she was a child. She became an accomplished singer as well, and appeared in Broadway musicals, films, and recorded her own albums. She also made headlines by standing up for the rights of women and African Americans, and she refused to play for segregated audiences. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March on Washington, Hazel led a march in Paris, where she was living, in front of the American Embassy. She learned about the Bahá’í Faith from Dizzy Gillespie and became a Bahá’í on December 1, 1968. She passed away in 1981.

We invite you to learn more about this “Change Maker” and the enduring impact she had on race relations through her performing arts.

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In 1881 five brothers, known as the Báqirof-Khamsi clan, whom Bahá’u’lláh designated as Sádát-i-Khams (The Five Siyyids, in Arabic) accepted the Bahá'í Faith in the northern part of Iran. This book describes this family and their struggles to survive in the midst of a fanatical establishment.

This book focuses on three main family members: Siyyid Nasru’lláh Báqirof, Siyyid Ahmad Khamsi-Báqirof, and Mas’ud Khamsi. An exemplary trilogy taking the reader to Iran, Russia, the Holy Land, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Africa, and even to awe-inspiring areas such as the Amazon rainforest and the Andes mountains, exemplifying that love for humanity also travels and it never tires in giving if inspired by higher principles.

This book presents the lives of Shaykh Salmán, Nabíl-i-A’zam and Mullá Sádiq, three individuals closely related to the early years of the Bahá’í Faith in Persia. Shaykh Salmán was Bahá’u’lláh’s on-foot courier travelling annually between Persia and the Holy Land. Nabíl-i-A’zam was the chronicler who carefully documented events of the Heroic Age of the Bahá'í Faith and a talented poet. Mullá Sádiq stood out as the one who travelled broadly disseminating the new Faith with wisdom, dignity and grace. The first was illiterate, while the second was a self-made scholar who started out in life as a shepherd, whereas Mullá Sádiq came from an educated family of means.

Empowered by faith, certitude, and love to Bahá’u’lláh these three men became a new creation, the like of whom we rarely see in human existence. To their wonder, amazing capacities and invincible powers became theirs, which made it possible for them to endure the most formidable vicissitudes with an ever-increasing spirit of faith and certitude. After glimpsing the greatness of such a Message, nothing had the power to deter them in their path of service - not age, nor lack of means, nor family circumstances, nor the constant danger they faced.

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Recipient of a DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Award from the Religion Communicators Council, Best in Class and Youth category winner

Recipient of a five-star review from Readers' Favorite Book Awards

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was a jazz musician who pioneered a new style of jazz music, known as bebop, in the 1940s. This book, written for junior youth, chronicles Dizzy’s life, beginning with his childhood in South Carolina, his move to New York City, and his eventual travels around the world. Dizzy Gillespie became a Bahá’í in 1968 and strove to be of service to others through his unique gift in music.

This is the second book in the Change Maker Series, highlighting people connected with the Bahá’í Faith who worked to bring about social change.

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Winner of Best Multicultural Non-Fiction from USA Book News.com, the Unsung Hero Award presented by an Australian Aboriginal radio station and newspaper, and received Honorable Mention at the London Book Festival.

Despite a life filled with discrimination and hardship, Aboriginal Elder Banjo Clarke never lost his faith in the human spirit and the goodness of people; his dedication to kindness and forgiveness made him a beloved teacher and inspiration to all whom he met. Wisdom Man covers Banjo’s life from his childhood on a mission, through the grim years of the Depression, his solo travels in search of work, his marriage and children, and his embrace of the Bahá’í Faith, which he found very close to Aboriginal spirituality.