Writing about genocide seems like a remarkable change in direction for an author renowned for her books on parenting, but Barbara Coloroso says her previous work and expertise gave her unique insight into the politically fraught topic. In Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, to be published by Penguin Canada in January 2007, Coloroso surveys genocides throughout history and examines how such crimes originate and how society might prevent them.

Coloroso, 58, is the author of three international bestsellers on the subjects of parenting, teaching, school discipline, and conflict resolution, including Just Because It’s Not Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right (Penguin Canada, 2005), her examination of ways to teach children ethics. In fact, it was a passage in that book that inspired the topic of Extraordinary Evil. “At the beginning, I have a cautionary tale about Rwanda,” says Coloroso, who has visited the country three times, both to work with orphans of the 1994 genocide and to lecture at the National University of Rwanda. She cites the story of a man who, at age 11, witnessed his parents and sister being slaughtered by machete.

For some, perhaps, it was a controversial means of commencing a book aimed at frazzled North American mothers who might simply be concerned with a child cheating on a school test. Yet Coloroso is resolute in explaining the need to explore the connection. She believes that ethical behaviour can be taught, and by studying cases in which ordinary people carry out violent acts – such as in a genocide – we might strengthen our moral resolve at home, in schools, and in the community. “I think it is important that we look to the extreme, extraordinary evil of a genocide as the absolute worst we can do,” she says.

Coloroso draws parallels between behaviour exhibited in child bullying, which was the subject of her 2002 book, The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander (HarperCollins Canada), and that exhibited in a genocide. She suggests that both share common characteristics: the dehumanization of the victims, an unquestioning obedience to authority, and a routinization of cruelty. “The premise I take on bullying is that it’s not about conflict or anger – it’s about contempt for another human being,” she says.

Not only does Coloroso examine how genocide “rips apart humanity,” exploring the roles of everyone from the “active supporters” to “resisters and defenders,” she also suggests ways that society might counter such unthinkable horrors. “The antidotes are what I wrote about in my ethics book,” she says. “They are to teach people to care deeply, to share generously, and to help willingly.”

As a former Franciscan nun and a mother of three, Coloroso has tried to instill such values in her own family. “It’s critical that we look at how we raise children,” she says. But confronting the worst of humanity took an undeniable toll on the author. The subject matter sometimes made her weep and often grapple with feelings of vulnerability, she says. “It’s hard. And yet it only convinces me that we have got to get a handle on this.”

Despite her obvious dedication to the subject matter, it was Penguin publisher David Davidar who first conceived the book. “When he suggested a genocide book,” she recalls, “I literally dropped my Perrier glass.” But now, the author acknowledges, “it’s actually bringing together something I’ve studied for 20 years.” Says Davidar: “There needed to be a comprehensive introduction to genocide, as such a book does not exist at the moment…. Barbara Coloroso has been a best-selling author for us, and we felt her existing readers as well as a whole new raft of readers would welcome her compassionate, original, and cautionary insights.” Penguin senior editor Barbara Berson says, “If you subscribe to her ideas, you will know there is a strong ethical underpinning. Her books spring out of a real grappling with evil in the world, so in a way, she has come full circle with this book.”

Initially, Coloroso was concerned about her lack of formal academic qualifications on the topic of genocide. “There are genocide scholars out there who study it for a living,” she says. Her publisher, however, sees Coloroso’s ability to speak to ordinary folk as an advantage. Says Berson: “It’s not a scholarly book. We’re confident that parents will want to read this book and bring it back to their families. We’ll also be reaching a much broader audience.”

Coloroso, based in Colorado, is in high demand as a public speaker, and Penguin plans to promote the book by tapping into Coloroso’s existing lecture audiences across Canada, which typically include parents, as well as teaching, medical, and religious organizations. The publisher also hopes to broaden the author’s appeal within the socially conscious, humanitarian audience who are concerned with ongoing global conflicts.

Berson is hopeful that the book will trigger a paradigm shift in readers. “There are awful things happening in the world, and this book presents a way of seeing it, a way to deconstruct it, that is very elucidating.” Coloroso shares those sentiments. “I am very glad I am writing it,” she says. “We are not only parents. We are also adults in the community. It’s important that we know this is a universal issue.”