Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton
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Book Reviews of Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
Book Review: The Power of Giving
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a marvelously inspiring book that encourages us to find our own reasons for giving. The book assures us that each person can give regardless of whether you have money, skills, material goods or ideas to contribute to make the world a better place. You CAN make a difference! That's a very powerful message for everyone regardless of your political stripe.
Religious people can use their energies in giving instead of casting stones at others. Business leaders can focus their energies on working towards a more equitable world instead of merely focusing on the bottom line.
The examples given in this book, such as those of Bill and Melinda Gates through their foundation illustrate how giving can be carried out by people who feel a sense of responsibility to the world. Ordinary folks like the 6-year McKenzie, who helped to clean up benches in her community, prove that giving is possible by all of us and we can give in our own way with whatever we have to offer.
The book provides many other inspiring examples of people stepping up and recognizing a need and being committed to create positive change that touches people's lives both locally and globally.
President Clinton can speak with authority on the subject, since he has been involved at the forefront of many charitable activities. He has gone past partisan politics in working with George Bush Sr. to focus on relief for the Asian Tsunami or for Hurricane Katrina. President Clinton has become a model for giving and I found this book to be inspiring and encouraging. The most fascinating part I found was how each person found a greater fulfillment and purpose through their commitment to helping others.
If you like this book also consider: Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - an excellent book on an icon of compassion, Man's Search for Meaning - a classic book by Dr. Viktor Frankl on finding meaning in life and Nexus: A Neo Novel - a spiritually inspiring novel about compassion and life transformation.
Book Review: A call to action
Summary: 5 Stars
"Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World" is an inspirational book that details the power each and every person has to make a difference. Bill Clinton focuses on two things in this book (which, by the way, is much, MUCH shorter than his autobiography, "My Life"). First, the former president provides countless examples of people and organizations that have taken on projects that have had a positive impact on the world. Second, the book demonstrates the many different ways people can give back, either by volunteering, organizing, or making monetary donations.
I was extremely impressed by the scope of this book. I thought the whole focus of "Giving" would be on the work the Clinton Foundation has done over the past six years. Although Clinton does use some of his personal experiences as examples, most of the stories in this book are about outside individuals and other non-governmental organizations that are doing amazing things. Clinton praises a wide variety of people for their good works, ranging from Bill and Melinda Gates to a young girl who organized regular garbage pick-ups at a local beach. I recognized a lot of the names and organizations mentioned in this book, but many of them were unfamiliar to me, and it was great to learn about the different things people are doing.
So many people (myself included) tend to focus on the negative aspects of the world we live in. We complain about the government, the economy, taxes, etc., but the reality is that there is a lot of good in the world that goes unnoticed. Reading this book was very inspirational because it illustrated how many people care enough to try to make the world a better place. I know that sounds kind of hokey, but it's the truth...and people really do make an enormous difference!
Everyone has the ability to give something, regardless of age, availability, or income. After reading this book, I'm reassessing the amount that I give back and thinking about ways that I can do more. I hope other people will do the same thing.
Book Review: A New Way to THINK about "Giving"
Summary: 5 Stars
You might be surprised to hear that, having read this book, I am NOT that big a fan of "charity", but I have developed even more admiration for the accomplishments of former President Bill Clinton because he wrote this book, and opens up new pathways to helping our fellow citizens of the planet Earth. The book is well worth the read, and it flows very nicely. But the fact remains that apart from emergency disaster relief aimed at a limited short term goal of keeping people alive following a sudden and (hopefully) unexpected catastrophe, charity is a manifestation, in most cases, of the wrong side of the "teach a man to fish" versus "feed a man a fish" proverb.
Both Bill and Hilary Clinton have been longtime supporters of the "microfinance" principles typified by the Grameen Bank (Professor Eunus' cooperative enterprise model of entrepreneurship). Giving "poor" people a motivation and a stake in the future (building and preserving for the future generations - their children) through co-opting them into entrepreneurial enterprises, not just as workers but as equity partners, is a far better way to banish poverty and solve the local problems that often can easily be overcome with modern technology. The opportunities to do this are particularly ripe as the world transitions toward non-fossil carbon fuels (i.e. Green fuels) like we are doing at [...] with algae based fuels, that also can be a feed source, in the short term for livestock, but in the longer term can also probably feed the world as well as fuel it, if we choose to take that route.
"Giving" is about alternatives like that. It could almost be retitled, "Choices", because it gives a much broader view of giving that we normally take. It is well worth the time to read, although, of course, President Clinton's voice is charming if you want to hear the audio version instead. Great for a long car journey.
Sincerely,
Stafford "Doc" Williamson
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Book Review: Reaching Out To People In Need
Summary: 5 Stars
After reviewing his latest book, "Giving," I believe that Bill Clinton's main purpose of his book is to "reach out" to people in need.
He wrote this book to us for three reasons and three reasons only: 1) To give generously - give the best of what we have, 2) To give humbly - ask for nothing in return and allow God to take the spotlight, and 3) To give radically - be counter-cultural. Give beyond what's comfortable from us.
In MY opinion, I believe the main theme of his book is that "Money does NOT belong to us, but it belongs to God." Now of course this is NOT a religous or spiritual book, but this book sets the idea that we all live a privileged lifestyle...that we have unique opportunity to give generously out of what we have been given. Clinton feels that we are suppose to live a life of sacrifice - that we are called to love our enemies, to care for those in need, to prefer others and embrace selflessness at all costs. I believe the main vision for his book is to encourage Americans to give ourselves away in ways that will challenge and change not just how we should change the world as Americans, but how we think globally and culturally in relations to giving as well.
Now of course, I am not going to summarize what he says in the book (that's for you to figure out), but I will definitely RECOMMEND this book to anyone who are interested in making a difference in our society today.
Overall, an excellent book for us to to be world changers in America!! A+
Book Review: A wonderful man, a great president
Summary: 5 Stars
So it's not exactly the most cerebral of works, it's still good stuff and certainly, something an ex-president such as this wonderful man is should be writing. Philanthropy is the true goal of humanity. In my small way, I do what I can. Maybe as I get older, I too, can contribute in a greater way, but this is the stuff I want to hear from a leader, which is what Mr. Clinton truly is.
I only wish our government would turn our focus where it belongs: HOME and HERE in the US. And create a government that holds the spirit of giving back to the very people that has made this country what it is and not throwing gazillions at fruitless efforts at creating EMPIRE which is what the true goal in Iraq and therefore, the Middle East, is. They call it fighting TERROR--(a NOUN--an abstraction, really.) Billions down the drain, when all the while we could be making a better world by minding our own business and helping our own country. Home. Highways. Schools. Katrina fallout. And yes, maybe a little extra to those in need. And we still manage to do that as individuals.
We are a giving people, as Clinton says. And he holds the spirit of Americans in these pages and reflects that back beautifully here. What a winner.