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Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World

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Author: Bill Clinton
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$24.95~~
Buy Used: $0.46
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Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.2

ISBN: 0307266745
Dewey Decimal Number: 361.7
EAN: 9780307266743
ASIN: 0307266745

Publication Date: September 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: (Airport Place Books does not ship on Saturdays and Sundays. We are unable to ship to "The Republic of Korea".)

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 86

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Giving? - Yes. Changing the world? Not quite. July 27, 2008
Give! Give money. Give time. Give Stuff. This book is all about how to give more to charity. If you are inclined to give, I think this book might give you some new places to look. If you aren't inclined to give, neither will it convince you to start.br /br /The book is a laundry list of ways to give. I enjoyed the writing style. It's a pretty quick read, and I made a fair number of notes about things to go look up further. However there are not good citations for various provided statistics which makes them a little suspect.br /br /The book really doesn't rank alternatives, give suggestions for which are better in the author's opinion, or otherwise make suggestions. I would prefer to see a more clear distinction of what works and what doesn't. In this sense it fails to come through on the 'How each of us can change the world' portion of the title. Examples of affecting 1,000,000 lives are mixed in with examples of helping 10 people. Giving is *not* a social good on its own. It's the impact of the giving which most of us care about. This book just focuses on the giving.br /br /Although there are chapters on Organizing Markets and social business' and other ways to give that are more aligned with the way I think philanthropy should be done, the book is essentially about old fashioned charity and volunteering. I personally have some basic philosophical difficulties with this model of social good. I prefer to see things done either at the societal level as advocated in Sachs' "The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time", or through social business similar to what is advocated in Yunnus' "Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism". My primary problem with individual charity is that it calls on the good hearted to bear more of the burden than the greedy. I prefer systems that either make everyone equally accountable for societies needs, or provide rewards for satisfying society's needs. While this is a gross simplification, in my opinion, if you want to do some good, go get an MBA and do it on a big scale. I'm not much a fan of sacrificing personally if you are not in a position to do so. This book seems to advocate that everyone should give, even if they can do little, and even if they don't pick the recipient carefully. br /br /I was a bit disappointed in the final chapter titled "How Much Should You Give and Why?". It stopped short of actually addressing the question, instead basically saying "it's an individual decision". I think I would have preferred a stronger statement which could have served as a center of debate, but I suppose a history in politics prevents strong statements. br /

4 out of 5 stars

Giving it a Chance June 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Giving is a straight forward 211+ page reason why we should give our time, money, and energy to help make a difference in he world. Clinton, fills the pages with nothing short of inspirational stories of incredible people, and how they have made an impact on the lives of others. Clinton argues that its easy to find a way to give to our world through examples of these extraordinary people such as; Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Oseola McCaty, Muhammad Yunus, Andre Agassi, Nelson Mandela, Josephine Murebwayire, Bono, and countless others whose stories were told through the pen of Bill Clinton.br /br /Giving is easy to read, and its formatted so that you don't have read each chapter in its given numerical order, you can skip around and still feel the message. This book breaks down philanthropy into six different categories; giving time, giving things, giving skills, gift of reconciliation and new beginnings, gifts that keep giving, and giving good ideas. br /br /Clinton makes it easy for you to want to give, not only because of the remarkable stories but because he provides all the contact information in the back for every charity, non-profit and nongovernmental organization that he mentioned to help tell his story. He does this because, "if your willing to volunteer, there is no shortage of organizations and projects that will be gland to welcome you."br /br /Though at times some parts of the book can read a little like a brag sheet for Hillary, it doesn't take away from his main focal points. Overall it's a book that leaves you feeling inspired, motivated, informed, and ready to take action. So if you have a moment, try Giving this book a chance.

3 out of 5 stars

Boring book, Inspiring content May 11, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

You know that part called 'Acknowledgements' which is available in almost every book and covers three or so pages? Ever read one of those? I bet you skip those pages every time!br /br /The first two-thirds of this book gave me the exact same feeling. Every chapter covers too much names that are soon to be forgotten by the time you enter the next chapter. No matter how inspiring these people are, you cannot ask the average reader to remember the UNC, DDA, EXRE and whatever NGO is being mentioned.br /br /And then, out of the blue, the book does get interesting. Most of this is due to the change in writing and you get a sense of personal touch in its writings. It doesn't even surprise me if Mr. Clinton only wrote some of this book.br /br /The people mentioned in this book deserve better than just being a paragraph in a chapter. Maybe Mr. Clinton should call his good ol' pal Al and make a documentary about this book, because it does hold award-winning content...

4 out of 5 stars

A Small Amount Can Go a Long Way April 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

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. br /br /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. br /br /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. br /br /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. br /br /br /

2 out of 5 stars

An inventory of amazing people March 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

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.br /br /Giving, in itself, is of course, important. Giving as a book, I didn't find that inspirational.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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