BY KAREN BOSSICK

Could we respond to violence with paintbrushes instead of weapons of war?

Sarah Sentilles, a resident of the Wood River Valley, recounts her investigation of how art confronts violence in the book “Draw Your Weapons,” which is being released this month by Random House

And she will discuss the book in a free on-stage conversation with The Community Library’s Executive Director Jenny Emery Davidson at 6 tonight—Wednesday, July 5—at the Ketchum library.

Sentilles uses her fourth book to tell the stories of two individuals who use art to respond to their personal experiences with war. One is a conscientious objector from World War II. The other, a former prison guard at Abu Ghraib.

The pacifist builds a violin; the guard paints portraits of detainees. And Sentilles interweaves their stories with psychology, art history, theology and politics as she investigates images of violence from slavery to the drone age.

In the process, she wrestles with such questions as: What does it take to inspire compassion? What impact can one person have? How should we respond to violence when it feels like it can’t be stopped?

A graduate of Yale University and Harvard divinity, Sentilles first authored “Breaking Up with God,” a book that is actually full of hope despite its name.

Her second book, “A Church of Her Own,” paints a portrait of what it’s like to serve as a woman of faith today.

“Taught by America” describes her experiences teaching in a rundown elementary school in Compton, Calif., where she learned the true meaning of poverty in America and the strength children exhibit when they’re struggling just to survive.

Tonight’s conversation will be live streamed at https://livestream.com/comlib/sentilles.