Al Niese ’63 on Pigeons and Peace

The Rev. Alfred Niese, Class of 1963, has published a children’s book that takes on bullying by using pigeon parables. Soren’s Story: A Parable About Bullies and the Peaceable Kingdom is inspired by pigeons Niese housed at a church in Newark, New Jersey. The book aims to teach children about the pains of bullying and how to “find a better way to be.”

“Pigeons are totally non-predatory and don’t live at the expense of anyone,” Niese said. “People look at them with disgust, but they do not carry diseases. It is a lot of misunderstanding, so it’s also about knowing who you are despite what others say.” 

While inspired by the Civil Rights movement and today’s protests of systemic racism and police brutality, the book is not specifically religious or political. Instead, it takes a simple story of children bullying other children as well as pigeons, which the reader is left to find deeper meaning in. 

“Really, any ill in society, bullying is a part of it,” Niese said. “We have all done it, we have all been a victim of it. Whether that is in corporate life, the church, the school, politics. This is about reflecting on that and finding a better way to be.”