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Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,836 listener ratings
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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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"This is a book about how people in different parts of the world with little or much have come to share whatever they value with others. If you are thinking of setting up a philantrophic organisation, this book might give you some insigth. I don't think you'll regret reading this book. "
— gosobooks.com (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
Giving Listener Reviews
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" A good reference book for NGO's and international organizations.... "
— Amal, 2/15/2014 -
" I love Bill to begin with, but this book made me appreciate him more. Gives great ideas of how each of us can help others & improve the world at large. "
— Stef, 2/6/2014 -
" I'm such a sucker for Bill . . . this book is a bit dry and boring though. It did inspire me to only buy fair-trade coffee from now on, and might inspire you if you're looking to give back in some way. "
— Kate, 2/5/2014 -
" Giving had a lot of great and unique ideas of how to give back to the world. For that I really enjoyed it, but it did take me some time to get through it. I will definitely use Kiva.org "
— Stephanie, 2/4/2014 -
" Read this. Whoever you are. Wherever you are. Read this. "
— Jennifer, 2/3/2014 -
" A good reminder of how important it is to give, either of your time, money or ideas. Inspiring stories of how people are changing the world through their philanthropic efforts. "
— Barbara, 1/20/2014 -
" Excellent book! this book has changed my life, the way I see my life now, from now on I will share much more with people in need. Thanks to him for opening my eyes. "
— Ilonka, 1/17/2014 -
" This book is very inspirational and full of great ideas on how you can engage in charitable giving even if you don't have the monetary funds to give money on a regular basis. It makes me realize why I miss having a President like Bill Clinton. "
— Amy, 12/30/2013 -
" A great resource if you want to know ways you can contribute to different non-profits and Non-governemental Organizations through time or money. Clinton's influence globally is amazing. "
— Ryan, 12/22/2013 -
" A great book explaining all the NGO options out there. It is giving 101. Don't listen to this book on CD because Bill Clinton reads it and that is annoying. "
— Roslynn, 12/11/2013 -
" inspiring...I love the recommended websites & books lists in the back. i will certainly be referring to lists in the future. "
— Kimberly, 12/9/2013 -
" A great compilation of people and organizations who are doing good in America and around the world. "
— Angela, 11/18/2013 -
" Horribly boring........ So boring. Not the feel good book I was lead to believe it was. "
— Calee, 5/24/2013 -
" if i had to pick one word to describe it - mundane. "
— Brian, 2/10/2013 -
" Simmed some of this while touring Kuwait, seemed like some good ideas. "
— Tom, 12/15/2012 -
" good look at non profits, and how you can get involved in giving. Clinton shares some creative ways in which each of us can dontate time, services, money, etc...to those in need, and to help protect the environment. "
— Bradleybly, 2/9/2012 -
" It's nice to read such a refreshing, inspirational book with a plethora of examples of good deeds and motivation for how to become a philanthropist in your community. "
— Chrystal, 2/1/2012 -
" To be connected to hundreds of nonprofits and organizations doing great work, view the resources guide at clintonfoundation.org/giving "
— Veronica, 12/20/2011 -
" Some inspirational anecdotes and interesting facts, but a little preachy. I'm not sure why he wrote it; he doesn't need the money or the fame... idle boredom? had to write something under his book contract? "
— Claire, 10/31/2011 -
" basically just a list of nonprofits/do-gooder organizations. not worth your time. "
— Elisabeth, 10/11/2011 -
" Clinton offers a plethora of info using simplified language, which aids the rhythm of the text-like book. I guess it could be handy for the resources listed at the end. "
— Sarah, 9/29/2011 -
" Some inspiring stories about charity, but basically I was disappointed by the catalog-in-paragraph format. Not much additional info besides descriptions of philanthropic efforts. Some interesting green info at the end. I got bored listening to his voice, too (audiobook). "
— Maria, 9/28/2011 -
" Obviously an interesting read from someone who's actually given it a shot. "
— David, 8/5/2011 -
" Good Read. alot of insight into ways to be involved to help worthy causes! "
— Scott, 7/4/2011 -
" A great resource if you want to know ways you can contribute to different non-profits and Non-governemental Organizations through time or money. Clinton's influence globally is amazing. "
— Ryan, 5/13/2011 -
" Simply great book and it will make you give "
— Jadevi, 5/10/2011 -
" This book provides so mane helpful ways to help people around us. There are some great stories of individuals dedicating themselves to others. "
— Max, 5/9/2011 -
" Interesting book on all the ways in which ordinary people can give back. "
— Sarvin, 5/3/2011 -
" Maybe it makes me a bad person but I found this book difficult to get through. Reading the roster of charity organizations and charitable people in history just didn't really get me motivated. Most of all I'd like to know if/where the proceeds of this book are being donated. "
— Jacob, 3/13/2011 -
" Somewhat inspirational but mostly reads like a long list of charities/organizations. "
— Maura, 1/23/2011 -
" Okayish and mildly inspiring. Was hoping for more. "
— Jeffrey, 1/19/2011 -
" It was a short book and kept the pace well. It gives a lot of interesting ideas on how to get started and definitely proves that anyone can make a difference. Solid examples throughout. "
— William, 12/29/2010 -
" Bill Clinton is so full of himself and I love it. He has reason to be. All of these stories about changing the world were really inspirational. Lets just say I cried on the plane reading it. "
— sophie, 12/20/2010 -
" Whether you are a Clinton fan or not, this book is worth the read. He does a great job of showing us how we can share what we have. "
— Jean, 12/3/2010
About Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton was the forty-second president of the United States and the first baby-boomer to occupy the Oval Office. He became president at the end of the Cold War, serving two terms from 1993 to 2001 and leaving with the highest end-of-office approval rating of any president since World War II. Since then, he has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work and has remained active in politics by campaigning for Democratic candidates.