MDA AMBASSADOR’S LAST BOOK
PUBLISHED POSTHUMOUSLY

TUCSON, Ariz., March 10, 2006 — Mattie J.T. Stepanek’s final book, Just Peace: A Message of Hope, is being released this month by Andrews McMeel Publishing, more than a year and a half after the young poet-philosopher’s death from the effects of a rare neuromuscular disease.

The book is a collection of e-mail correspondence between former President Jimmy Carter and the former National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, plus previously unpublished prose by Mattie.

Mattie, who served three terms as MDA National Goodwill Ambassador, wrote six best-selling “Heartsongs” volumes of poetry prior to his death in June 2004, just shy of his 14th birthday. The sixth book was released in August 2005.

Mattie’s poetry celebrated life and sought meaning from grief. He saw himself as “a philosopher who played.”

The contents of Just Peace are centered on the idea of creating peace. The book includes a foreword by Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate and a close friend of Mattie’s who encouraged him in his efforts.

Mattie’s mother, Jennifer Smith Stepanek, edited Just Peace after his death, honoring a promise she made to him in his last days of life. She and Carter are slated to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on March 14, and to hold several book signings.

“The purpose of this book (is) to offer insights on why conflict and violence exist in a world filled with people who are generally and genuinely good,” Stepanek writes in her preface. “Most of all, Mattie wanted to share his thoughts on the ‘profound simplicity of choosing and planning peace.’”

It’s clear from his correspondence with Carter that Mattie sometimes struggled with this “simple” choice. At age 11 he wrote, “I do believe in peace and hope and forgiving. But once in a while, I feel very stressed inside and almost torn up... Then I feel guilty for not feeling peaceful inside, when I tell people how important it is. Am I still a peacemaker? Can I learn to be peaceful all the time?”

Just Peace addresses such profound questions in honest, practical and poetic terms. It’s available at bookstores and online, including www.amazon.com.

A portion of the proceeds from the book will benefit the MDA Mattie Fund, which funds research into childhood neuromuscular diseases. For more on Mattie Stepanek, visit the MDA Web site, www.mda.org/mattie/remembering.html.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.

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