Endorsements for:
AT HELL'S GATE: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace
by Claude AnShin Thomas

"Written with relentless courage and utter compassion, this account of violence and transformation is one of the most amazing and wonderful stories I've ever read." -- Michael Herr, author of Dispatches, coauthor of the screenplays for Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket

"Claude Anshin Thomas has been an inspiration to me. Our world urgently needs to listen to him tell of his life in war and then in peace." -- Maxine Hong Kingston, author of Woman Warrior

"A powerful, wise, and genuinely profound spiritual odyssey from the insanity of violence (in the world, within ourselves, and in the assumptions of American culture) to the peace and compassion of mindfulness practice. Thomas beautifully models Zen teachings in his daily life, and by doing so he enlightens and liberates us all." -- Charles Johnson, winner of the National Book Award for Middle Passage

"This is a book of great power. Thomasís pilgrimage to find living peace in a world full of terror and war gives us a wonderfully practical lesson in how to lift ourselves out of the insanity of fear, hatred, violence, and trauma. His singularly courageous story has the power to heal, to inspire, to teach." -- John Laurence, former CBS News correspondent and author of The Cat from Hue: A Vietnam War Story

"In these strange times, when fear and aggression often seem to be the only responses we can imagine to a perceived threat, this powerful book provides an honest, open-hearted, and very moving testimony to the power of Buddhist practice to break this cycle. Claude Anshin Thomas is a hero in the truest sense of the word: having undergone an epic trial, he has generously come back to help others in need." -- George Saunders, author of Pastoralia and CivilWarLand in Bad Decline

"A courageous and vivid account of the inner meaning of war. His story of coming to terms with his violent past by means of Buddhist practice provides a moving example of how even the most extreme forms of suffering can be understood, accepted, and transformed into a path of wisdom and love." -- Stephen Batchelor, author of Buddhism without Beliefs

"Claude Anshin Thomasís journey from the killing fields of Vietnam to the path of peace and pilgrimage testifies to hisóand ourópowerful urge to awaken. At the same time, this is not a pretty story. Thomas has lived in hell, knows its smell and taste, and continues to confront it every day of his life. Yet he remains undeterred in his work to make peace in himself and the world at large." -- Bernie Glassman, author of Instructions to the Cook and Bearing Witness