"It is perhaps inappropriate to call a book about genocide breathtaking, but this broad and ambitious work is nothing short of stirring. Sources of Contemporary Genocide author John Bart Gerald quickly admits that no amount of writing can be up to the task of stopping the heinous acts "so deeply part of western civilization, of colonialism, of capitalism, of tribalism" that they are almost beyond our comprehension. Gerald nonetheless goes further than most at chronicling the historic and contemporary events of human terror inflicted upon one another. To fathom the enormity of the scope of Gerald's work, one look no farther than the book's expansive Table of Contents - taking the reader from Libya to the Sudan, Congo, and Ambazonia/Cameroons; from Canada and Indigenous struggles of the northern Americas; to Venezuela, Guatemala, the Rohingya people of central Asia, and beyond.

"Gerald's writings, deftly illustrated by the talented Julie Maas, present many challenges, to governments who remain the main perpetrators of genocide and to non-governmental actors as well. In perhaps the most poignant and cutting series of observations, the question of intent vs. impact including the role of the bystander is examined both from a moral as well as an international human rights/legal framework. Gerald asks those of us at the center of the current though waning empire: "How deeply have North Americans responded to the massive death caused by our inception, our wars, armaments, economic needs, when our survival has had so many options other than war?" Indeed, how guilty are those who, despite being "good, peaceful activists", take little or no time to understand or stand between the genocides being conducted in our names? Gerald doesn't attempt to answer that in a blaming or guilt-inducing fashion, but this essential book does provide a vital roadmap for all justice-loving people: to move with greater earnest towards creating a world for all its peoples."

- Matt Meyer, peace activist, prison rights activist, Secretary General, International Peace Research Association

- Gail Davidson, founder of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, co-founder Lawyers Against the War

"One aspect of peacemaking is the struggle to keep one's eyes open and be aware of efforts being made, especially through propaganda of various kinds, to make us regard war and genocidal actions as inevitable and necessary....For years John Bart Gerald has been closely following current genocidal campaigns around the world and has now published a book, Sources of Contemporary Genocide, that provides a compendium of carefully researched reports that anti-war campaigners will find valuable."

- Jim Forest, peace activist & educator. Alkmaar, the Netherlands

"Gerald makes clear how even in 'advanced' societies we are programmed not to understand, taught not to recognize the moments which build to atrocities". This blindness to incipient atrocities can be semi-voluntary or involuntary, but finally "Genocide isn't simply an action by one group or government but a process requiring the involvement and consensus of the entire society using genocide as a tactic either for its own gains or the interest of its privileged'.
        "Gerald's goal is to give us the tools to recognize these crimes and shame the perpetrators through their exposure, to teach us how to refine our understanding of 'how the crime proceeds, of the resulting suffering, of the terrible illogic of injustice, of why atrocity is unacceptable' so that we can finally 'refuse our own complicity'."

- David Gullette,Socialism and Democracy
Review, at Facebook

"This is a worthwhile encyclopedic study of usa and Canada and European countries who have attacked and hobbled the world since 2000 and before up to 2020 doing their thing for oil, power, and Western hegemony, in general. High school and college students will find Sources a good summary of journalism for history and social science reports. The footnotes are useful. ... a good study of capitalism gone wild."

- Daniel S. Weinberg, semi-retired librarian