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The Story of One Simple Prayer and How it Changed the World


“Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith”


NEW YORK, NY (October 26, 2009) - Joann Davis, author of nine books including The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things, What I Love Most About You, The Little Secret that Can Change Your Life, and A Friend is a Gift has created a fable for our time: THE BOOK OF THE SHEPHERD: The Story of One Simple Prayer and How it Changed the World (HarperStudio/October 27, 2009/$ 19.99). She takes her inspiration from a real prayer that has become one of the most popular prayers in Christianity, called variously The Simple Prayer, The St. Francis Prayer, and The Peace Prayer. Put to music as “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace,” it has been sung in churches for decades and it was the hymn chosen for Princess Diana’s funeral. And yet, however much the simple words have become woven into everyday worship and reflection, its message has been questioned, its authorship argued. Davis in creating this modern parable illustrates simply how an old prayer can reset cultural conversations across denominations.

"I did have the opportunity and pleasure of reading BOOK OF THE SHEPHERD. I appreciate the values of love, forgiveness, peace and quiet joy that the
story puts forth. It is a good and gentle reminder of what is really important in this world.

That it alludes to our Franciscan values, certainly caught my attention and the inclusion of the Peace Prayer - intimately associated with Franciscans, is appreciated."
-Patrick Mendes, National Minister of the Secular Franciscan Order-USA

Writing about an unnamed past, Davis re-imagines the origin of the prayer and renames it the Law of Substitution. She creates a shepherd, a former slave and a young boy and sends them on an adventure that will test each of them in turn, meeting apocryphal figures like the Storyteller, the Apothecary, a Blind Man, and a Stranger whose stories, skills, and intentions help prepare the three for their final test. They will rely on each other in critical ways, learning first-hand about character, courage, and the priceless gifts that come with reckless generosity.


Davis’ wide-ranging intellectual curiosity imbues the quest with optimism and its own kind of reckless generosity—for ideas to be shared and long-held notions held up to the light anew. Illustrated with drawings by Sudi McCullom, the little book has already been hailed by writers as diverse as Paulo Coelho and James Redfield. The book has also attracted considerable international attention: translations rights have been sold in 14 countries to date
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joann Davis has spent most of her career working with books. A former news editor at Publishers Weekly, an editor at the publishing imprints Warner Books, William Morrow, and HarperCollins, Davis acquired and edited a number of bestsellers, among them The Celestine Prophecy. Davis is the author of nine books including, The Best Things in Life Aren’t Things, What I Love Most About You, The Little Secret that Can Change Your Life, and A Friend is a Gift. Her books have been published in Italy, Mexico, Japan and Indonesia. She is married to New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis they have two grown children and divide their time between New York City and Dorset, Vermont.

TITLE: THE BOOK OF THE SHEPHERD: The Story of One Simple Prayer and How it Changed the World
AUTHOR: Joann Davis
PUBLISHER: HarperStudio
PRICE: $19.99 / 25.99 CAN
FORMAT: Jacketed hardcover
ON SALE: October 27, 2009
ISBN: 9780061732300

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