The Book Worm Shares a Word

As our dear friends who helped move our posession into our new home discovered, the Wanaks have a few books and a passion for diving into new ideas. Here's a list of winners recommended by Angel who has had a little extra time to read during summer break from grad classes:

The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawkins. The title may not grab you imediately, but the first page will, as Hawkins is a fabulous writer and thinker who challenges our very ideas of economics and good living considering nature's systems that sustain our livelihood. Though the broad scope of environmental concerns Hawkins discusses are overwhelming, the practical and achievable solutions he advocates offer hope and inspiration. Here's a quote: "We have the capacity and ability to create a remarkably different economy, one that can restore ecosystems and protect the environment while bringing forth innovation, prosperity, meaningful work, and true security."

Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is the Founder of the Grameen Bank, an organization which provides small loans to the poor in Bangladesh so they can provide for their livelihoods and pursue their dreams. In 2006 Yunus and the Grameen Bank received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to alieviate poverty and thus significantly contribute to world peace. In this book, Yunus describes a new type of entity: a Social Business, which shares some similarities with for-profits businesses and non-profit businesses. Yunus envisions an organization that provides a product or service for the sole purpose of achieving a social good (rather than pure profit aims). Yet, the social business is not reliant on donations and grants in the way that a non-profit organization is, therefore a social business can spend all its energy and resources working towards its social goal rather than fund raising. Yunus' ideas for the world are truly inspiring and will interest every reader in starting their own social business.

Quote: "Peace should be understood in a human way--in a broad social, political and economic way. Peace is threatened by an unjust economic, social and political order, absence of democracy, environmental degradation and absence of human rights. Poverty is the absence of all human rights. The frustrations, hostility and anger generated by abject poverty cannot sustain peace in any society. For building peace we must find ways to provide opportunities for people to live decent lives"