September 20, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
by Bill Clinton
“In America, many of us are besieged by more requests for help than we can grant. All of us have to decide
among competing claims on our time and money,” writes Bill Clinton in this guide to giving.
Hoping to inspire readers to give what they can to a cause they find compelling, the former president offers hundreds of examples of people, organizations, companies, and governments that have worked to ease social problems around the world.
The book does not focus solely on donating money, but devotes chapters to people and groups that give time, expertise, or goods, such as medical or education supplies.
In addition, he discusses why donors should support groups offering creative ideas for solving problems, not just organizations that provide services, and he discusses the growing efforts by donors and charities to reshape how market forces can be used to advance the public good.
A chapter in the book also outlines Mr. Clinton’s views on what tasks are appropriate for government and what philanthropy should be expected to accomplish.
An appendix lists Web sites for the hundreds of organizations and campaigns mentioned in the book, as well as information about dozens of other books on charity.
“Who’s happier? The uniters or the dividers? The builders or the breakers? The givers or the takers?” asks Mr. Clinton in the book’s conclusion. “There’s a whole world out there that needs you, down the street or across the ocean.”
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1745 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019; http://www.aaknopf.com; 240 pages; $24.95; ISBN 978-0-307-26674-3.
