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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Very interesting book...I've been a Kiva lender and supporter for several years and it was interesting to get more of the "back story". They are everything I'd been led to believe and I will definitely continue my support. They are a "charity" that "empowers" and I like that. Also your "gift/loan" can keep on giving as your can continue to re-invest to new borrowers as you are paid back.
This is an ambitious book. Part memoir, part travelogue, and part history lesson told with a comic flair. I was a full-on microfinance fan girl in college, so this was a trip down memory lane. I wrote my senior thesis about its potential global health benefits back in 2006, so I appreciated the update, including info about areas in which MFIs have struggled. Since this book was written in 2013, I'm planning to do some more research about the latest developments in the MFI and SMS (Small and Medium Enterprise) sectors, and consider making some Kiva loans of my own.
While I felt like the author hammered a few points home a little too hard (I'm looking at you, "birth lottery"), overall I think he delivered his message of hope in a way that felt genuine and humble. As he puts it, "When you think about how and why the people we’ll meet work as hard as they do, they’re the heroes. I’m just telling you about it. They’re Holmes. I’m Watson."
P.S. People who enjoy this book might also want to check out [b:Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think|34890015|Factfulness Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think|Hans Rosling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544963815l/34890015._SY75_.jpg|56144100].
While I felt like the author hammered a few points home a little too hard (I'm looking at you, "birth lottery"), overall I think he delivered his message of hope in a way that felt genuine and humble. As he puts it, "When you think about how and why the people we’ll meet work as hard as they do, they’re the heroes. I’m just telling you about it. They’re Holmes. I’m Watson."
P.S. People who enjoy this book might also want to check out [b:Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think|34890015|Factfulness Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think|Hans Rosling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544963815l/34890015._SY75_.jpg|56144100].
Did you know that you can buy The World's Most Expensive Cocktail for $7,438 (it comes in a take-home gold tumbler)? Or that you can buy a special type of coffee for around $600 a pound that came from the rarified atmosphere of an animal's butt? No? Well, how about this - there's a flip side, a dark side to the craziness. A huge percentage of people on this Earth live on $1 *PER DAY*. Not because they're lazy, or criminals, but because they got dealt a different hand than so many of the rest of us. This book is about those people, and one crazy American who traveled in search and support of the efforts being led to help them.
Many may have heard of Kiva loans - that is what this books is about. It takes a look at exactly how they work, why they work, and what happens when someone abuses the system. It also takes a look at the most important part - the people involved. Those who apply for loans, those who give their lives helping, and those who started these groups in the first place. Without the people, there would be no book.
I did find a couple of things that I should mention that bothered me. The first four chapters seemed less organized than the remainder of the book. Things that seemed like they would be in an introduction were stuck later in another chapter - that sort of thing. While it didn't damage the book overall, it did just seem out-of-whack on occasion. The other thing is that this book could have been cut down by about 1/4-1/3 without doing any real damage to the overall point(s) being made.
Having said that - I loved the voice of the author. Very entertaining, which can be difficult when writing about such a serious subject. I also am very glad for the numerous links at the bottoms of the pages, which allow the reader to look up the profiles of these people and to donate if they decide to. The sources were also wonderful to have.
Overall - this book is an important resource for people who want to help but sometimes aren't sure how. Kiva and other microlending programs were hit hard a few years back after a huge scandal by another group, and this book discusses that while demonstrating that one bad banana needn't spoil the whole bunch. I had looked into microlending in the past and, for whatever reason, never really got my butt in gear. I am proud to say that while reading this book, I made my first loan. In such difficult times, and when actions here in America have such dire consequences all over, it's nice to feel like I have the ability to help someone else. This book is well worth reading, and maybe, more readers might decide that $25 is small enough for them to help with.
Change is out there...will you be a part of it?
Many may have heard of Kiva loans - that is what this books is about. It takes a look at exactly how they work, why they work, and what happens when someone abuses the system. It also takes a look at the most important part - the people involved. Those who apply for loans, those who give their lives helping, and those who started these groups in the first place. Without the people, there would be no book.
I did find a couple of things that I should mention that bothered me. The first four chapters seemed less organized than the remainder of the book. Things that seemed like they would be in an introduction were stuck later in another chapter - that sort of thing. While it didn't damage the book overall, it did just seem out-of-whack on occasion. The other thing is that this book could have been cut down by about 1/4-1/3 without doing any real damage to the overall point(s) being made.
Having said that - I loved the voice of the author. Very entertaining, which can be difficult when writing about such a serious subject. I also am very glad for the numerous links at the bottoms of the pages, which allow the reader to look up the profiles of these people and to donate if they decide to. The sources were also wonderful to have.
Overall - this book is an important resource for people who want to help but sometimes aren't sure how. Kiva and other microlending programs were hit hard a few years back after a huge scandal by another group, and this book discusses that while demonstrating that one bad banana needn't spoil the whole bunch. I had looked into microlending in the past and, for whatever reason, never really got my butt in gear. I am proud to say that while reading this book, I made my first loan. In such difficult times, and when actions here in America have such dire consequences all over, it's nice to feel like I have the ability to help someone else. This book is well worth reading, and maybe, more readers might decide that $25 is small enough for them to help with.
Change is out there...will you be a part of it?
I first heard of Kiva and microfinancing (small loans provided when/where typical banks can't help) years ago but only finally jumped in as a lender about a year ago. I'm glad I did and I'm really glad that this book came out since then. Bob Harris is a great writer telling stories in a humorous manner when it's appropriate so that it is easy to learn and remember the information that he is passing along. He tells the serious parts of the stories with humility and vulnerability.
I recommend this book whether you've never considered microfinance before or whether you're a seasoned lender. I think we all have something to learn from it.
I recommend this book whether you've never considered microfinance before or whether you're a seasoned lender. I think we all have something to learn from it.
Kiva is one of my favorite charities in that it isn't really a charity at all. It is an organization that allows lenders to loan $25 to people all over the world through Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs) to help them support their growing businesses or education. You can choose your recipient, read about the MFI supporting them, and choose based on type of loan and country too. Then your loan gets paid off and the money goes back into your Kiva account. You can cash it out or relend it to someone else.
Bob Harris discovered Kiva and MFIs after feeling supremely discomforted after a luxury travel trip through Asia. After loaning the money he received from that work trip (20,000 bucks) he decides to further investigate and traveled to meet recipients of his and other MFI loans in many countries from South America to Europe and through Asia.
The resulting book is part travel book, part economics and completely engaging and accessible. Bob blends the right tone of humorous and serious and I know other reviewers complained of the footnotes, I found them delightful. He didn't travel around the world to "make sure" his money was being used well, but instead did the serious research about poverty and developing world economics. I think this could easily be suggested to readers interested in current events and expanding their world view.
Bob Harris discovered Kiva and MFIs after feeling supremely discomforted after a luxury travel trip through Asia. After loaning the money he received from that work trip (20,000 bucks) he decides to further investigate and traveled to meet recipients of his and other MFI loans in many countries from South America to Europe and through Asia.
The resulting book is part travel book, part economics and completely engaging and accessible. Bob blends the right tone of humorous and serious and I know other reviewers complained of the footnotes, I found them delightful. He didn't travel around the world to "make sure" his money was being used well, but instead did the serious research about poverty and developing world economics. I think this could easily be suggested to readers interested in current events and expanding their world view.
Good, well-rounded view of microfinance from the ground. I enjoyed learning about the unique challenges from the areas that Kiva and other organizations lend to as well as the culture of the organization itself. It was also helpful and illuminating to read about problems, challenges, and the dark side of microfinance. A great read for any Kiva lender, or anyone thinking of becoming on.
I'm glad I read this book. It definitely has inspired me to continue to lend via Kiva as much as I can.
Bob Harris wanted to make a difference to the lives of the world's poor after spending time surrounded by the opulence and obscene wealth of the hotels he visited for Forbes Traveler, when he realised just how lucky he was to win the birth lottery of being an American white male. After doing some research, he discovered microfinance, and in particular Kiva, the social media driven lending service. Instead of just asking Kiva directly to report on their ethics, success, reach and transparency, Bob decided to travel the world and take a look for himself, and write a book about it.
The International Bank of Bob is a funny, honest, open-hearted and importantly privilege-acknowledging look at how those of us who are privileged can help those without those privileges to help themselves. Bob approaches those he encounters with dignity and respect, and asks himself as many questions as he asks those he meets along the way.
A delight to read and has given me a lot to think about.
The International Bank of Bob is a funny, honest, open-hearted and importantly privilege-acknowledging look at how those of us who are privileged can help those without those privileges to help themselves. Bob approaches those he encounters with dignity and respect, and asks himself as many questions as he asks those he meets along the way.
A delight to read and has given me a lot to think about.
This book is about micro-lending, but even more it is about people who give so much to be the ones on the scene to facilitate the loans of people like me who put up a bit of cash and receive a lot of joy in watching that cash go out, come back, and go out to someone else. It is also about people who receive those loans and how that money makes a huge difference in their lives and spreads out to others as well.
My hat's off to Bob Harris for all he did in order to get these first-hand accounts. He then did a wonderful job of writing in such an interesting and often humorous way. This book is a great read. I learned so much about various places and customs and rejoiced that there are so many exceptional people in our world. "You love more, you win."
My hat's off to Bob Harris for all he did in order to get these first-hand accounts. He then did a wonderful job of writing in such an interesting and often humorous way. This book is a great read. I learned so much about various places and customs and rejoiced that there are so many exceptional people in our world. "You love more, you win."
So, I've been lending on Kiva for a few years now and would consider myself quite an active participant within lending communities. I've heard a few people described this as the gateway drug that got them involved in microlending, so it was never going to be able to get me as a reader to make such a profound change, because I'm already there. It has, however, led me to think about some of my lending criteria and appreciate loans I would previously have glossed over, because his writing has shown me how much of an impact certain loans can have.
He was inspired to get involved as a luxury travel writer, seeing the contrast between the high end, expensive hotels he was invited to review and the lives of the poorest workers he saw in the same cities. After some time as a lender, he managed to arrange a book deal to visit some of the Kiva borrowers and find out if the loans had really improved their lives. I found his writing style engaging, and the stories he found were really enthralling. I'm so pleased I finally read it, and think it might be one of those books where I end up buying several copies as gifts!
He was inspired to get involved as a luxury travel writer, seeing the contrast between the high end, expensive hotels he was invited to review and the lives of the poorest workers he saw in the same cities. After some time as a lender, he managed to arrange a book deal to visit some of the Kiva borrowers and find out if the loans had really improved their lives. I found his writing style engaging, and the stories he found were really enthralling. I'm so pleased I finally read it, and think it might be one of those books where I end up buying several copies as gifts!