The revolutionary figures in this book are those innovative, non-conformist masters--Zen "madmen"--whose unorthodox behavior has helped define the radical countercultural movement known simply as Zen.

In Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers you'll meet Zen boat-rockers that span from early eighth-century China all the way to the bustling streets of modern-day America with a stop in the middle to visit a courageous Zen master who made the ultimate sacrifice in his resistance to the brutal actions of the Japanese government in World War II.

These remarkable masters show us through their audacious actions and fearless words that the pursuit of spiritual awakening must ultimately be a rebellion against the very foundations of suffering in the world.

Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers, Perle Besserman and Manfred B. Steger, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 244 pages, $16.95

Perle Besserman and Manfred B. Steger are the founding co-teachers of the Princeton Area Zen Group and the authors of Grassroots Zen. Perle and Manfred divide their time between Melbourne, Australia, and Honolulu, Hawai'i.

Manfred B. Steger is author of the volumes Globalization and Neoliberalism in the Vest Short Introduction series, as well as the co-editor of Violence and Its Alternatives. He divides his time between Melbourne and Honolulu.