I am a consulting botanist and ecologist. My first book
Conscientious Objector—A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment
is a memoir covering the tumultuous period leading up to me successfully achieving the classification of conscientious objector and performing alternative civilian service during the Vietnam War.
My memoir can be purchased online at archwaypublishing.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.
Comments from readers and reviewers:
“…the writing and editing of this book are well done….I recommend this book as maybe it's time to see the other side of the coin.” TW, The VVA Veteran, 10-02-21
"Every young person thinking of enlisting for military service should read this first."
"For the very first time, through this book, I learned more about Vietnam than I ever knew before.”
"A worthwhile account of an amazing time, and a unique approach to conscientious objection.”
“An in-depth look at the effects of war on the planet and on those who served and those who objected."
“This is a remarkably detailed memoir by a remarkable individual who was in the thick of the society-changing events of the 1960s and 1970s.”
"Conversations regarding peace and the environment are critical in any age.”
“This book confirms we do have the power of choice, and to make a change we must exercise that power.”
“What the author has portrayed offers an opportunity for others to be inspired to be positive, productive individuals who believe in and practice day to day the belief that making this world a better place can be justly rewarding.”
“The larger themes make this a statement for the future, not just how it was back then, but how it might be and should be.”
“The book reads beautifully and is engaging and eloquent.”
“A very interesting and enjoyable read. The language flows.”
“A very stirring and compelling read."
“I enjoyed the book with Wayne’s voice in my ears. His recounting of his life and work is fascinating.” JL, Goodreads
"Enthralling! A remarkable story!"
"This is an exciting story of one young man’s sincere efforts to live life in harmony with all humankind and in balance with nature.”
“I loved the deep dive into Vietnam’s history and culture. This great book was hard to put down.” WS, Amazon
“Wayne Ferren gives events that happened 50 years ago relevance today.” G, Amazon
“A very good book. I read it and recommend it to any of us who grew up during the tumultuous period….During my college years, I was exposed to Manhattan College’s Peace Study Program pioneered by Dr. Stonier and realized that peace is an alternative to war.” RW, LinkedIn.
“Fascinating in depth exploration of the ripple effects of the Vietnam War on people and cultures.” WS, Amazon
“…a monumental work from several perspectives.”
"This memoir is very moving and timeless."
"This is a great book!"
Conscientious Objector is a remarkable book…That Ferren was also able to weave a very different coming-of-age trajectory of another brave man with (almost) the same name speaks to his skills as a teller of tales with profound relevance as recent history and a cautionary tale for the future. I recommend this book to all. PF, Goodreads, 10-12-21.
Contact the author by email:
waynerferrenjr@gmail.com
Celebrate United Nations International Peace Day on September 21, 2021. This year’s theme is “recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world.”
“Peace Day provides a globally-shared date for all humanity to take part in activities that contribute to the creation of a more peaceful, compassionate, knowledgeable, and united world.”
Veterans Day, November 11, 2021.
Today, Veterans Day, we honor our American veterans of military service. My book, Conscientious Objector - A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment, honors those who served in the military and those who performed alternative civilian service as conscientious objectors. It also honors those who resisted the draft during the Vietnam War, especially those who served time in prison for their convictions. We are all veterans who followed our consciences and honored our country by doing so. As a reviewer of my book stated in The Veteran, it is time we considered "the other side of the coin." We can celebrate both sides of that coin by honoring those who served in war and those who served in peace. I am proud to be a peace veteran. Wayne Ferren
What would you do if you were drafted to fight in a war?
As a conscientious objector opposed to all wars, Wayne R. Ferren Jr. had to answer that question during the Vietnam War.
He called on his religious and scientific backgrounds as well as his environmental activism to argue that he should be excluded from fighting in, or supporting this war. Following a successful defense of his claim, Wayne served two years of alternative civilian service, which influenced his professional and personal life for the next fifty years.
Decades after his service, Wayne was shocked to find his name on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, which turned out to be that of another young man with a similar name born the same year Wayne was born. That man died in 1968 when his plane was hit by artillery fire and crash landed at Khe Sanh Marine Combat Base. He will forever remain a teenage father killed in a senseless war.
To this day, the duality haunts the author, and in this multifaceted memoir, he looks back at a lifetime and how his background, scientific training, and transcendentalism have guided him on a path of conscientious objection, service, and conservation, believing all things are sacred.
Interviews, Videos, Articles, Excerpts, Press Releases:
INTERVIEWS
Nancy Pearlman, Environmental Directions Radio Series, KBPK, 90.1 FM, out of Fullerton College in southern California, August 14, 2021: https://youtu.be/xPOUYRrTFu8 “So pleased you wrote this story and combined the issues of the environment, peace, and social justice.”
Veronica Leighton, ViaTimes Publication/CPRTV, “Chicago Philippine Reports TV,” Chicago Cable 25, July 19, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oZjqO_T4e0&t=1323s “A very interesting book…Would be nice if Hollywood discovered your story!”
ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVES
https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/alphabetical-index/interviewees/2492-ferren-jr-wayne-r
Interviewee:
Ferren, Jr., Wayne R.
College/Year: CCAS '70, GSNB '78
Links to Oral History Sessions: Ferren, Jr., Wayne R. (Part One) (August 2, 2021)
Ferren, Jr., Wayne R. (Part Two) (August 10, 2021)
Description:
Born in 1948, Wayne R. Ferren, Jr. grew up in Camden, New Jersey. He went to the Rutgers Camden College of Arts and Sciences from 1966 to 1970 and majored in geology. He worked in the herbarium and was influenced by faculty member Ralph E. Good. In the interview, he discusses the anti-war movement, draft lottery, national student strike, and campus shutdown in 1970. He helped to organize the first Earth Day at Rutgers-Camden. Ferren traces his experiences in applying for conscientious objector (CO) status and the process of consulting with the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, being denied by the draft board, and ultimately receiving CO status during an appeal. During his two years of alternative service, he worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He received his master's degree in biology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. He spent twenty-six years at the University of California-Santa Barbara, first as the curator of the herbarium and then as the Executive Director of the Museum of Systematics and Ecology (MSE) and Director of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve and Assistant Director of the UCSB Natural Reserve System. Since 2004, he has worked as an environmental consultant. He has been active in environmental justice and conscientious objector organizations. Ferren is the author of Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment. His website can be found at https://www.waynerferrenjr.com/
VIDEOS
Archway Publishing, Conscientious Objector - Wayne R. Ferren Jr., August 27, 2021: https://youtu.be/6hWqKUKMXHg
ARTICLES
Nancy Novick, “Alumni Profiles,” Rutgers Alumni Newsletter, March 30, 2021: https://alumni.rutgers.edu/stay-connected/alumni-news-and-stories/a-conscientious-objectors-story/
Tom Werzyn, “ Conscientious Objector by Wayne R. Ferren Jr.,” The VVA Veteran, - Books in Review II, October 2, 2021: https://vvabooks.wordpress.com/2021/10/02/conscientious-objector-by-wayne-r-ferren-jr/
As a Vietnam War veteran, I found myself reacting to Ferren’s story with a much kinder eye than would have been possible for me to do 50 or so years ago as the ensuing years have both blunted and sharpened my perceptions of the antiwar movement and those who took part in it. Which is why I recommend this book as maybe it’s time to see the other side of the coin.
EXCERPTS
Military Times, “Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice Culture, and Environment,” July 3, 2021: https://militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2021/07/03/book-excerpt-conscientious-objector-a-journey-of-peace-justice-culture-and-environment/
Navy Times, “Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment,” July, 3, 2021: https://navytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2021/07/03/book-excerpt-conscientious-objector-a-journey-of-peace-justice-culture-and-environment/
PRESS RELEASES
Wayne R. Ferren Jr. release ‘Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment’
New book depicts how civilian service through conscientious objection is an alternative path to waging war
LAS VEGAS – War is never the answer — this is at the core of “Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment” (published by Archway Publishing) from Wayne R. Ferren Jr. In this memoir, the author looks back at how his background, scientific training, and transcendentalism have guided him on a path of conscientious objection, service, and conservation, believing all things are sacred.
As a conscientious objector opposed to all wars, Ferren argued that he should be excluded from fighting in or supporting the Vietnam War. Following a successful defense of his claim, he served two years of alternative civilian service, which influenced his professional and personal life for the next 50 years. Here, he takes readers through his journey as he faced trials and obstacles on his chosen path of peace and harmony. He also details the stories of three other young men who experienced profoundly different consequences from their choices to serve or not serve during the Vietnam War, including life, death, and prison.
“This book will appeal to a broad audience because it covers in detail the events, places, and many important characters of an important and tumultuous time in the history of our country including the Vietnam War, social justice milestones, scientific advances, and environmentalism such as the first Earth Day,” Ferren states. “On a personal level, it is the story of a young man trying to articulate his beliefs in a time of changing morals, ethics, and Supreme Court rulings. My book provides a path for other young people with similar beliefs who may be confronted in the future with multifaceted challenges they must confront.”
Visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/778153-conscientious-objector to purchase a copy and know more.
“Conscientious Objector: A Journey of Peace, Justice, Culture, and Environment”
By Wayne R. Ferren Jr.
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 538 pages | ISBN 9781480897038
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 538 pages | ISBN 9781480897052
E-Book | 538 pages | ISBN 9781480897045
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author:
Wayne R. Ferren Jr. is a conscientious objector who performed alternative civilian service at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (now of Drexel University) during the Vietnam War. He earned a bachelor of geology and a master of biology from Rutgers University. He worked as a botanist at the University of California, Santa Barbara for 26 years, serving in various capacities including the executive director of the Museum of Systematics and Ecology; director of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve; and assistant director of the UCSB Natural Reserve System. He is the author of numerous scientific articles and the recipient of many environmental awards.