‘Healing Resistance’ review: Murder, reconciliation and a commitment to nonviolence

For the past 20 years, Japanese-American author Kazu Haga has taught the philosophy of nonviolence in schools, nonprofit organizations and prisons. Now 39, Haga, who was born in Tokyo and moved to the United States at 7, has seen firsthand how applying the principles of nonviolence can change a man’s life — even that of a convicted murderer.

“In my work in prisons,” Haga writes in the introduction of his powerful new book, “Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm,” “I’ve had the privilege to witness the transformation of countless people who have committed the most horrific acts of violence — including homicide — into the most compassionate, dedicated peacemakers I know.”