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Title: Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
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Manufacturer: Knopf
List Price: $24.95
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| Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf A Small Amount Can Go a Long Way | Charitable giving is a regular part of life for many Americans and one man who wants to encourage Americans to integrate giving into their daily lives is former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The former U.S. Chief Executive has his own foundation dedicated to the cause of world health and other issues and he wrote this book to educate the reader on the different ways to give and the visible difference that a little effort can make. Writing a check or offering a credit card number to donate cash is the most common way that people give, but like Clinton explains in this book, there are many other ways to give that are just as important and equally valuable. Serving as a volunteer for an important cause, teaching others how to read, or donating used goods are among the many other ways by which an individual can help to improve the lives of others.
Americans are a very charitable people and Clinton frequently praises the generosity of others in the book's opening chapters and in other segments of the reading. As many people know, Bill Clinton joined with former president George H.W. Bush to help raise money for Tsunami victims and for those devastated by Hurricane Katrina and he points this out several times in the books chapters. Clinton wanted to demonstrate how most any people- even those who were once political rivals- can join forces for a common cause. No matter what one's political affiliation, most anyone will agree that charitable giving is important and commendable. It should be part of everyone's lifestyle, provided they have the means to give. And regardless of the size of the gifts, giving is still helpful and should always be encouraged. This book makes mention of mega- givers like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, but it is quick to point out that small gifts also make a big difference.
One of the many positive experiences I gained from reading this book is the knowledge about specific charities. Many of the charities mentioned in Giving are well- established, but there are several surprises. One is a charity called Chess in the Schools, which teaches chess to inner city youth as a means to improve learning in other areas. Yet another is a charity called H.O.P.E, which was founded by a group of high school students who wanted to break the cycle of poverty and disease in other countries. Information on these and other charities (including web site addresses) are found in the book's Resources section. I have already visited the web sites of several different groups and I am likely to add some of them to my list of important causes for future giving.
Overall, Giving is a very good book about the difference that each one of us can make. The fact that Bill Clinton is the author will likely discourage many people from giving this book a read and that is a shame because there is plenty of good information in Giving. Politics aside, this is a positive, well- written, non- controversial book about the different means to give, the different causes to support, and the different ways we can all make the world a better place. Its optimistic tone and strong message make it a good book for all, and hopefully one that will inspire others to devote more time and effort to the virtue of giving.
| | Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf An inventory of amazing people | This book was basically a very long list of amazing people giving time or money (or both) to very thoughtful and important causes. These people volunteer here. this guy had a great idea and created an NGO there. The spirit of it is very flat and reads like an extended laundry list.
Giving, in itself, is of course, important. Giving as a book, I didn't find that inspirational. | | Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf inspiring | | I wasn't sure what to expect of Clinton's latest book when I first picked it up. In the end, it was inspiring, informative, and motivating. He talks about the generosity of well known philanthropists such as Gates, Buffet and Bono but also speaks of the generosity of lesser known givers such as Andre Agassi and Tiger Woods. He touches on a number of causes - including poverty, the environment, education, HIV/AIDS and provides the reader with concrete ways in which they can help - be it financially, through time, or through grassroots activities. A compelling read to be sure. | | Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf How to give and give well... | People who think the wealthy represent nothing but selfish, myopic, live-for-the-moment destructive opportunists will face some salient counter examples in "Giving." In it, former President Clinton pours out a tidal wave of stories involving people who put others first. True, many of those listed have wealth as vast as the universe itself, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. They can give millions without even scratching their checking accounts. But happily they do. Detractors of Bill Gates as the capitalist gone amuck czar of Microsoft will see a different side of him within this binding. Clinton's outline of the state of philanthropy will help ease the cynicism that our world seeps only with self-destructive money mongering. We desperately need stories of sharing and goodwill right now. As the global economy plunges into an abyss and political tensions escalate towards breaking point, people need some hope that the whole shebang won't simply collapse on itself. "Giving" provides a pinhole light of solace in a seemingly dissolving and hopeless world.
Not everyone profiled in "Giving" has unlimited caches of wealth capable of buying Saturn's rings. Many are children. Or college students. Or people who have had enough and decided to take action on a specific issue, regardless of their limited resources. Oseola McCarty must represent the most extreme example. She lived well below her means throughout her long life, saved everything she could, and decided to give away 60% of it. This unmarried clothes washer, stricken with arthritis, saved enough to donate $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi. Clinton points out that if someone with such limited means can give, anyone can. "Giving" also looks at the cutting edge of internet philanthropy, such as microfinance. Nearly anyone can participate, at various financial levels, through websites like kiva.org. For those who want to give time or skill, Clinton points to volunteermatch.org. Just enter a zip code and an area of interest to find hundreds, maybe thousands, of opportunities. Those who look will find no shortage of needs.
"Giving" provides not only a resource for optimism, but a reference manual for giving. A"Resources" section lists voluminous websites, organizations, and publications that would fit any desire. "Giving" teaches the uninitiated how to give and give well. It's almost too bad that Clinton wrote this book, because many may simply write it off altogether because his name is embossed on the cover. That would be unfortunate, because the issues outlined here rise above any political squabbling. At one point Clinton mentions his friendship and philanthropic partnership with George H. W. Bush. They apparently work well together these days, despite their obvious political differences. Theirs remains an example to follow for all of us, despite today's immature and polarized political spectrum. Hopefully we can find a way towards middle ground, decide what impact we want to have on the world, and take Clinton's advice: Give. | | Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf What Really Matters | | I listened to this book on CD in my car with my two teenage children. We three found the addition of Bill Clinton reading his own words very compelling and inspirational. I do agree that if you are looking for deep introspection and a "theory of citizen action," this is not it. It does, however, provide various frames for considering giving, such as gift of time, gifts that keep on giving, etc. The result? I have begun forming an NGO and my children have begun a project with their high school that will extend beyond its borders to other schools--both based on the inspiration of Clinton's words. I doubt there is a better way to "gift" back. | | Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Knopf Product Description | Here, from Bill Clinton, is a call to action. Giving is an inspiring look at how each of us can change the world. First, it reveals the extraordinary and innovative efforts now being made by companies and organizations—and by individuals—to solve problems and save lives both “down the street and around the world.” Then it urges us to seek out what each of us, “regardless of income, available time, age, and skills,” can do to help, to give people a chance to live out their dreams.
Bill Clinton shares his own experiences and those of other givers, representing a global flood tide of nongovernmental, nonprofit activity. These remarkable stories demonstrate that gifts of time, skills, things, and ideas are as important and effective as contributions of money. From Bill and Melinda Gates to a six-year-old California girl named McKenzie Steiner, who organized and supervised drives to clean up the beach in her community, Clinton introduces us to both well-known and unknown heroes of giving. Among them:
Dr. Paul Farmer, who grew up living in the family bus in a trailer park, vowed to devote his life to giving high-quality medical care to the poor and has built innovative public health-care clinics first in Haiti and then in Rwanda;
a New York couple, in Africa for a wedding, who visited several schools in Zimbabwe and were appalled by the absence of textbooks and school supplies. They founded their own organization to gather and ship materials to thirty-five schools. After three years, the percentage of seventh-graders who pass reading tests increased from 5 percent to 60 percent;'
Oseola McCarty, who after seventy-five years of eking out a living by washing and ironing, gave $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to endow a scholarship fund for African-American students;
Andre Agassi, who has created a college preparatory academy in the Las Vegas neighborhood with the city’s highest percentage of at-risk kids. “Tennis was a stepping-stone for me,” says Agassi. “Changing a child’s life is what I always wanted to do”;
Heifer International, which gave twelve goats to a Ugandan village. Within a year, Beatrice Biira’s mother had earned enough money selling goat’s milk to pay Beatrice’s school fees and eventually to send all her children to school—and, as required, to pass on a baby goat to another family, thus multiplying the impact of the gift.
Clinton writes about men and women who traded in their corporate careers, and the fulfillment they now experience through giving. He writes about energy-efficient practices, about progressive companies going green, about promoting fair wages and decent working conditions around the world. He shows us how one of the most important ways of giving can be an effort to change, improve, or protect a government policy. He outlines what we as individuals can do, the steps we can take, how much we should consider giving, and why our giving is so important.
Bill Clinton’s own actions in his post-presidential years have had an enormous impact on the lives of millions. Through his foundation and his work in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, he has become an international spokesperson and model for the power of giving.
“We all have the capacity to do great things,” President Clinton says. “My hope is that the people and stories in this book will lift spirits, touch hearts, and demonstrate that citizen activism and service can be a powerful agent of change in the world.” |
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