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anickgb's review against another edition
3.0
While I wholeheartedly agree with the point made in this book, that philanthropy is a great way to spend your wealth, I did not see any practical tips or advice being presented in this book. It makes a great case for philanthropy, but I was already convinced, so it missed the mark for me. Great storytelling on the other hand.
heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing book - it will reconfigure how you think about the energy of money. Also, she tells some GREAT stories.
gretchentanner's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book has important perspective shifts and is full of great insight based on the beautiful and terrible aspects of our current world. It has been very impactful for me.
jenniferstringer's review against another edition
4.0
Heard an interview with the author and was curious. While I understand how some might find this book somewhat esoteric and veering off into the land of magic thinking, I thought it had quite a few insights that you don't find in most finance books. One basic one is how your bank account best represents your values -no judgement involved- it just is. So we may tell ourselves we value x and y, but our bank accounts may show that we value paying the bills and entertaining ourselves. You spend $ on what you value. That part alone was the impetus for me to write 2 checks to organizations that I've long admired. Much to think on from this book.
anitaashland's review against another edition
4.0
What you appreciate appreciates. Let go of the chase for more, stand on the solid ground of sufficiency, and you have more energy to invest in what you already have. Appreciation for what you already have changes your relationship with money from one of fear to possibility. These are some of the important insights from this unique book about money.
richard_f's review against another edition
3.0
notes on putting your money in alignment with your soul.
pitirijaz's review against another edition
4.0
Justo lo que necesitaba. Cambiar mi perspectiva y aclarar mis conflictos con el dinero para dejar de verlo como una fuente de angustia y más como un vehículo para expresar mi alma y los deseos de mi corazón. Sí inspira.
thefoxyreader's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Alright, so let’s get this out of the way because I have a couple of issues with this book that aren’t really even the book’s fault but will affect my review nonetheless:
- I read this book as part of my work book club. My coworker chose this book, and I was slightly (okay, maybe more than slightly) disappointed that she chose a serious nonfiction book and not something fun.
- This is a book about money…that was written 20 years ago. And in our current climate of global inflation, I think even the author might approach this topic from a different perspective.
Regardless of those two points, The Soul of Money unfortunately has a few things that just really rubbed me the wrong way. I think the author really meant well and it’s obvious that she’s done a lot of good work with The Hunger Project and has put forth her own time and money to help and empower other people.
I won’t really hold anything against the author because once again this is 20 years ago, but honestly this book felt like it was written specifically for wealthy and upper-middle class people.
Which is fine since a bulk of the book is about how to invest your money in a way that is ethical and empowers others as well as yourself.
However, I felt like the author never really acknowledged her own privilege of having the financial freedom to be able to donate her money as she pleased. She seemed very much to romanticize how people who are poor are blessed because they are able to focus more on family and community as opposed to being controlled by money.
And while I’m sure there are poor people out there who appreciate their families, I don’t think Lynne Twist put enough thought into the folks who are having to work two or three jobs to just pay the bills. They are having to sacrifice their time with their families just to pay the bills.
For me, there was also too much prosperity gospel thinking in this book with the whole “hey just give because things will work out.” While I can see the good intentions behind that statement, I think it is also dismissive of folks who are STRUGGLING to pay their bills and are living paycheck-to-paycheck.
There are some good stories and examples of how Lynne raised funds to help a community or how someone she knew redirected their wealth to philanthropic pursuits. I wouldn’t mind hearing Lynne speak as she is passionate about helping others, but this book just feels dated and like the author isn’t aware of her own privilege.
amymo73's review against another edition
5.0
Confession time: One of my New Year's resolutions was to examine and repair my relationship with money. It's a topic I never want to talk about and a topic I never want to deal with. I'm one of those people who believes she is bad at math and bad at finances. Since my reality is shaped by my beliefs, I figured it was time to look at them and change this. And this was the perfect place to start. This book has been on my Kindle for sometime, and I finally was ready to read it. So glad I did.
Twist does a great job of telling stories, both her own and those of others. Rich and poor. Privileged and forgotten. Sophisticated and simple. It doesn't matter what the actual sum in the bank account is. Through her anecdotes, Twist drives home her main points: Money is always flowing in your life. (Even if it seems like just a trickle.) Approach life from a place of "sufficiency" instead of fear and lack. Money is a tool to express your values and you can do that no matter how much money you make. You do that in the choices you make on how you spend your money.
"When you let go of trying to get more of what you don't really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands."
Twist does a great job of telling stories, both her own and those of others. Rich and poor. Privileged and forgotten. Sophisticated and simple. It doesn't matter what the actual sum in the bank account is. Through her anecdotes, Twist drives home her main points: Money is always flowing in your life. (Even if it seems like just a trickle.) Approach life from a place of "sufficiency" instead of fear and lack. Money is a tool to express your values and you can do that no matter how much money you make. You do that in the choices you make on how you spend your money.
"When you let go of trying to get more of what you don't really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands."