The Price of a Dream tells the remarkable story of the Grameen Bank, the groundbreaking "village bank" that has revolutionized the way people aroun...
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reviews
May 15, 2010
M
rated it: 
A charming journalistic account of the origins and character of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Although it verges on the panegyric (as so many popular accounts of Grameen do) it nonetheless gives an interesting picture to the type of aid work - and bootstrap mentality - that Grameen does, notably by providing money but also through the support network of the borrowing centers and the savings requirements imposed on the members. There were also trenchant comments on the backhanded character of m
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Sep 14, 2009
Hilda
rated it: 
Finally finished this piece after being postponed reading it for almost two years. David Bornstein is a real story teller imo,- he eloquently captures the journey of Grameen Bank from time to time in different decades and smartly showcases what challenges and opportunities that came up in every cycle of Grameen's lives. For those who wants to learn the concept of social entrepreneurs in practice,- I will absolutely recommend this book.
Jan 14, 2009
Lara Amber
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This is just a great book. It focuses on the people involved in the start of the Grameen Bank and it becomes very obvious while there may have been a mastermind in Muhammad Yunus there were a lot of bright men & women involved in creating this wonder, and not "experts brought in from first world countries" but local people with various levels of education willing to give their all to make it work and help their people improve themselves.
It's interesting how the story can s More...
It's interesting how the story can s More...
Sep 17, 2010
Mark
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Yunus got a Nobel Peace Prize. Tremendous human and business story. "Business" in that the number dimensions or issues to be solved and integrated and designed into a solution is awe inspiring. "Human" in the scale of affect he has had on peoples' lives.
Sep 25, 2007
Manderson
rated it:
A well-written look into the creation and daily operations of the pioneering microcredit Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which has not only served to directly assist thousands of poor villagers, but also to demonstrate that assisting the poor can be a sustainable capitalist enterprise. Lots of good ideas from Muhammad Yunus, the founder, here, as well as direct insight into the villager's lives and the impact the Grameen Bank has had on them.
Aug 21, 2008
Jamon
rated it: 
This is slow at times, and I have been reading it off and on for the past year. It started strong but the challenges of a large bank in the story are not as gripping as how it began in the roots.
Microlending took 12 years to perfect until it got out of the equivalent of a state in Bangledash.
The author got a little politically preachy toward the end...whatever happened to objective writing?
Microlending took 12 years to perfect until it got out of the equivalent of a state in Bangledash.
The author got a little politically preachy toward the end...whatever happened to objective writing?
Jan 01, 2010
Bridget
rated it:
So inspiring! One person, one bold idea, and the lives of millions are improved!
I loved the idea of "socially conscious capitalism."!
I loved the idea of "socially conscious capitalism."!
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May 29, 2008
Cathy
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I teach this book and it is a gem. David Bornstein spent 5 years in Bangladesh researching the beginnings and progress of the Grameen Bank, the world's most successful microenterprise organization, that lends small amounts of money to poor women and has helped millions emerge from poverty. David is a friend and a very gifted writer. Read just the first chapter - you will be hooked!
Jan 08, 2008
Rebecca
rated it:
Someone suggested this book to me and I really enjoyed it. What an inspiring story of how one person can help many! It also spoke about how "common wisdom or practice" may in fact be a part of the problem, not the solution. I also learned a lot about Bangladesh, a country which I knew little about.
Dec 31, 2008
Martha
rated it:
The Grameen Bank is an amazing project to learn about. This book not only explores the mission and operations of Grameen, but in a way that keeps you turning the pages and enjoying the book for the great work of non-fiction writing that it is.
Aug 13, 2008
Christine
rated it:
An interesting balance of personal stories and organizational history. The bank has been around for ages now, but for some reason I didn't know a lot about it. A quick enjoyable read.
Jan 22, 2008
Novia
rated it:
Great story of helping people from the bottom up. It's an easy read considering there's a lot of talk about banking and economics in it. Mostly it's about the people, though.
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