Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World

by Zach Hunter

Discover your passion.Change the world!Watch the news and you’ll find plenty of things wrong with our planet―homelessness, hunger, global warming, AIDS ... the list goes on and on. What could one teenager possibly do about them? Plenty. Just ask Zach Hunter, a modern-day abolitionist who is proving that one person― yes, you!―can make a difference.There are more people bound in slavery now than at any time in history. Since the age of twelve, Zach has worked to free these men, women, and children who are being held against their will. He’s even found some friends in the fight, including Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Leeland Mooring of Leeland. In this newly updated and expanded edition of Be the Change, Zach features new stories of emerging abolitionists, provides updates on his organization, Loose Change to Loosen Chains, and shares practical advice to help you make revolutionary changes in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Self Help, Inspirational, Biography, Christian Non Fiction, Justice

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2007

About the author

Zach Hunter is a college student, an abolitionist, and an activist, spending much of his time working to end modern-day slavery around the world and fighting other problems in the world today. When he was twelve, he started a campaign called Loose Change to Loosen Chains, helping to raise awareness and money to free people from slavery. The author of Be the Change, Zach speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year, inspiring them to find their passion and make a change in the world. Now he continues his ministry with his newest book Chivalry.

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so I was reading this book and this really opened up my eyes, I need to work on this alot, but with Gods help I know I can do it!



From "Be The Change" by Zach Hunter.



" Have you ever had a bad day? Most of us think we have. You might feel like you're having a bad day because friends are gossiping about you or something happened in English class. Or maybe it's when your big game gets cancelled because of rain, or you get a bad grade in Science and are told you can't play Xbox. But that's not a bad day.

For many people around the world, a truly bad day is when you wake up to the sound of your slave master yelling at you, telling you to get to work. You get off the hard ground you slept on, still sore from last night's beatings. Quickly you wash the dust off yourself, and eat a hurried breakfast of rice and water. You make it to your work place on time; if you don't, you are beaten severely. Then you crouch on the floor with the other slaves, you backs pressed against the walls in a dark, dusty, smelly room, weaving rugs all day long. Then you go to sleep and repeat the process the next morning. This is the life of a slave.

This story isn't intended to make you feel guilty (although it might), but it is intended to make you think. I know some of us do suffer greatly, and I don't mean to minimize that. Some kids have to endure the loss of someone they love, the divorce of parents, or even the suffering of a terminal illness. I don't want to minimize how difficult these experiences can be. But how many of us complain about little things each day – our lunches, our hair, our homework, our clothes, our friends, teammates, or family members? I'd say most of us do. And I think that is wrong.

We shouldn't complain about every little thing that doesn't go our way. Or the petty things that bug us about others. If your looks or your clothes bother you, pray God would make you thankful you have clothes to wear, if you're upset about something at school, be thankful you have the chance to go to school, get an education, and visit with friends instead of weaving rugs all day. If people in your life annoy you, pray for them, too! That person who's bugging you? Ask God to let you see him as God sees him, or love her as God loves her.

We should all be thankful for how much we have been given. We can become obsessed with comparing ourselves with others – whether it's to brag about how much better we are than "them" or to be jealous of what someone else has that we don't. Instead, why don't we try comparing ourselves with people like modern-day slaves and the oppressed? We'll probably find we have it pretty good in comparison. Thankfully, most of us will never have to know the kind of suffering and hardship slaves endure every day.

I think it's really cool that God chooses to use us to alleviate suffering. God hears the cries of the oppressed. If we open our hearts, we can be the answer to their cries for relief and hope, so their enduring will not be in vain. "

Yeahhh. You cant read this and not think about what all you complain about, you know?

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel somewhat guilty giving this one star. The subject matter and Zach Hunter's devotion to it are definitely 4 or 5 star worthy. But as a book? Not impressed. Its obviously written for a younger audience--of which I am not part, I guess. If you want to learn more about the fight to end modern slavery, I think I'd suggest some online research before picking up this book.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I especially loved three things about it: 1)It's awesome reading books written by teenagers that are my age, and this book is no exception. Especially since I am a girl who'd love to get published (I love to write) and I love God and want to change things- it's inspiring. 2) I love that Zach shared so many stories about people who inspire him- that's so awesome because it's great to read about people who have/had things hard but did something. 3) I really like the suggestions/ writing prompts- that's so cool because I believe that writing is a expression of your thoughts and opinions that will last a long time. That's a great idea. The only problems I had were small. There was a small amount of grammer issues (like on page 26, the paragraph about his mom is repeated and on page 59 there needs to be a space between Minty and Instead), but those are small things that will happen. Also, I wish there was a bit more about the modern day slave trade and a bit about how fairtrade is a way to kind of free slaves... Overall, the book was great!
Thanks so much for letting em review the books!

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, I was expecting a thoughtful, soulful memoir, and this was more of a...guide book to freeing slaves? ok- so the tagline is Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World....just disregard that. :-p but on the flip side, it was ery inspirational. I did know that the slave trade (especially the sex slave trade with young girls) is still going on, but I was shocked to know that there was soo much of it. My favorite part of this story was when Zach gave the bad day example, my bad day might be, frizzy hair, a butthead wb, and a failed test...but compared to what some kids my age go through each day, woken up before the sun by their "owners" and forced to work, they can't attend school, make friends, or anything else teens and kids are supposed to do. That passage really opened my eyes, another passage that I enjoyed was at the end. When Zach talks about how he prays to God to let hime be humble, so God doesn't have to be humble for him. That wasn't very eloquent, so it sounded much better in the book. :-p
sorry this review was so long, but I think that everyone should read this book.

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

BE THE CHANGE



Revised and Expanded Edition



By Zack Hunter

As you contemplate your coming teen years what do you imagine it being like? Proms. Cramming for exams. More homework. School committees. Hanging out and having FUN with your friends.



For Zack Hunter, his teen years have been very different. Zach is committed to abolishing modern day slavery. Think slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation - well you thought wrong! Slavery is a growing problem and it can be found world wide.


Join Zach as he takes you on a journey - a journey through time with the people who had a passion to be the change in their world. As you read Be The Change you will have time for reflective thought at the end of each chapter. By the end of Be the Change you better understand yourself and your passion!


Be The Change would be an excellent choice for a teen book group or a youth group who want a book with a deeper meaning. Written in a style that will appeal to teens!

[Janet Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American youth finds out that there is still slavery in the world and begins at a campaign called "Loose Change to Loosen Chains". He tells inspiring stories and encourages teens to figure out what they are passionate about and get involved. Each chapter has thought provoking questions that could be used in a devotional. I would recommend this to all teens and their parents.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I would like to mention that I won this book from the Goodreads First Reads! Thank you so much for choosing me as one of the winners for this book!

Ok, so about the book....
I must say that I really enjoyed this book. I love the fact that a young man around the same age as myself is so passionate about helping people. Not only is he passionate about it, he actually took the initiative to DO something about it. Not many teenagers have such passion for making a difference and reading this book lets me know that I am not alone in my passion to make a difference in this world, and in people's lives. I love the fact that Zach uses many examples to explain to us the main points of his book, because we are also learning a little bit about history while we are learning morals. I also very much enjoyed that he listed many websites that we could go to to make our own difference and effort to abolish slavery.

The thing that I didn't like the most was all the references to God. It's not so much that I didn't like it, but I am not a religious person by any means and it kind of seems like he is saying that we cannot do the "good" that he talks about in the book without believing in God. I have never been religious at all in my life but I have done many good things for people and animals. I think it's great that he feels strongly about his belief and his connection to God, but I think he needs to focus more on what we can do to help "be the change" and abolish modern day slavery like the title of the book. I guess in a way, that was partly my fault for not fully reading the description about the book when I entered to win this book, but I was excited to read this book just from reading the title of it, I didn't care to read the description.

The other thing that kind of bugged me about the book was the typo and the use of so many explanation marks. There was one paragraph in the book that was duplicated, one right after the other. Now, I know this critique may seem ridiculous, but I think it's still important to make a note of. Being the grammar nazi that I am, it drove me nuts to see the double paragraph and all the explanation marks. While I do understand that he is trying to emphasize certain sentences, the use of explanation marks in writing is not very proper.

Religion aside, this book was a great read. Again, I love that this young man has such passion to do good in the world and his enthusiasm is most definitely contagious. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone and anyone!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Please understand my low rating is ONLY because I am the wrong demographic for this book. If I had read this when I was 15 and if I had been involved in a church youth group this would have been my cup of oolong tea. I am 100% behind this young man and the passion he feels for his cause, and wish nothing but the best for him and his future. I'm happy that in such a crappy world, there are still some kids that believe in morals and decency towards fellow human beings.
That being said, I honestly gave this a try. This is more of a work book, something suited to a Christian youth group that meets weekly, so that each week can be devoted to one chapter. I simply could not identify with "high-fiving friends at school" or figuring out which clique I belong to, and discovering ways to reach out to people in opposite cliques. I was hoping for more of a focus on human trafficking and less on how to be a better teenage Christian. HOWEVER- I do believe that I SHOULD be a better Christian and I DID do 3/4 of the "lessons." I don't go to church, maybe I should, and I'm not super religious, but I DO believe strongly in cultivating a deep spiritual bond with God. I just rarely get around to it, unfortunately. Most of Zach's stories focused on slaves or oppressed people that existed in the 1800s or have passed on long ago. There were a few that had to do with present-day child labor, but I didn't feel like I learned how to free them, other than some links to websites that I will probably check out. This is more of a self-help project for teens, and does pretty well being that. I appreciate the opportunity to discover it, and am thankful to giveaways for providing me this for free. If you are a teenage Christian, please check this out and get pro-active. If you’re a 27 year-old looking for ways to prevent people from becoming sex slaves, you may or may not want to pass it up.

[Hannah Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be the Change is a collection of brief biographies bound together with the passion of a teen determined to persuade his audience (that would be you, teen readers!) that teens can make the world a better place. Short chapters and lots of pithy quotes make the powerful stories of people throughout history who have fought against slavery easy to read and remember. Hunter’s writing style is informal but eloquent--the inspiring stories span the familiar, like Harriet Tubman (who, after escaping from a life of brutal slavery, risked her hard-won freedom by returning to the south and leading over three hundred slaves to freedom) as well as the little-known, like George Muller (who literally gave up all his possessions to found several orphanages for street children in 19th century England).

Hard facts intersperse the stories: over 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. every year; 50% of all victims of human trafficking are children. This is a book written by a teen, for teens--or anyone willing to realize that life is too short to say “I’ll make a difference someday.” Zach Hunter offers teens around the world a way to reach out to the world now, not someday. If you want to be one of these teens, read the book, or go to www.zachhunter.me, and find out more about how you can help end modern-day slavery.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe the book is aimed at teens, but there is an occasional condescending tone to it. Not that the young author thinks that he's better, just explaining concepts or historical aspects or something like it is an 8 year old learning about it for the first time. But then, I think it would be good for this book to reach many ages. So perhaps it is all right. I read this often thinking that I should buy a copy for my 15-year old brother to read. I know he could make such a difference right now. He's an amazing young guy! I like the religious aspects and referrals in this book. I wish the Bible quotes and story summaries were more King James Version. I like the workbook layout that can be helpful getting young people started on how they change their lives and the lives of others in the world. I had to read this, being connected with "Amazing Grace" and abolishing slavery. I admire the author quite a bit and am glad he's making so many changes. He made good points that I felt useful and helpful to me personally. While some things could have been better, I think this book is good and worth reading. More importantly, I think the topic is what needs to be understood and applied to each of us individually.

[Lynne Vanderveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an updated and expanded edition of Hunter’s 2007 release. Hunter, a teenager himself and self-described abolitionist and activist, both shines a light on an enormous problem and writes an inspiring call to action in this book. Part of the appeal of this book is having an author who is roughly the same age as the readers serving up information on tragic conditions in our world (such as the fact that there is more slavery in the world today than at any other point in history). Teens will relate to Hunter’s stories of people who inspire him and will, in turn, be inspired by him to make a difference in their world. With solid information, questions to spark thought and discussion, suggestions for how to get involves, and resources provided, this book offers students a great opportunity to get involved, work on a community service project, or just become aware that one teenager can make a difference.

[Ebby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic example of what teens can be when they're willing to put themselves aside and be used by God! I'm impressed with Zach Hunter, and I hope he can continue in the way in which he has started. This book is a really quick read, not very deep, but filled with great quotes and valid points. I take minor issue with the fact that Zach mentions over and over for teens to "follow their heart" in regard to doing what is right. Bad advice, Zach. And, maybe it's just because I am the "ripe old age" of twenty-three, but the author's tone tends to be somewhat condescending and overexplanatory (he even defines civilian for you in the text, just so you won't be lost in the point he's making). Overall though, an inspiring read that I plan to pass on to my own passionate teens.

[Mary Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading the updated version of this book (to be published Sept. 2011). It was a quick read and really engaging.

Each chapter features a character trait that will help you change the world, like compassion, courage, and endurance. The chapters have real life stories of people who demonstrate that trait. There are a wide variety of people presented: old and young, modern and historical, famous and unheard of.

A nice feature in this book are discussion questions at the end of each section. I just pondered my own answers, but this would make an excellent discussion book for a youth group or teen book club.

This book is interesting, inspiring, and empowering, and when I finished reading I had the urge to go right out and make a difference in the world.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

(The writer was 14 yrs old when he wrote this, so I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.)

The book did not flow, with the point Hunter was trying to get at, as smoothly as it could have. Each chapter read like an essay without a conclusion which left me hanging. At the end of the book, Hunter provides some solutions to modern-day slavery -- though the bulk of his solutions seem to be intellectual throughout the book, not very concrete action plans.

Overall, Hunter did a good job as a 14 yr old (he is now a lot older) in presenting the problem and the direction to the solution. Those who take up the cause of fighting modern-day slavery ought to go further than he did and write up step-by-step plans the abolish slavery.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome. Written by this 15 year old Zach Hunter (who spoke briefly at a convention I attended), he has very deep thoughts about modern day slavery and the power of his generation to do something about the injustices of this world if only the older generation would give them a chance.

It does READ like it was written by a 15 year old, but except for one missed closed parentheses ")" it is grammatically accurate and the simple sentences do not take away from the power.

Reads quickly, took me about 2 hours (would've been faster had I been able to use both of my eyes at the time)

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an inspiring young man. I am a youth leader and read this to get a teenage perspective of things so I can help encourage those in the youth group to knowing that they have the ability to do something in this world no matter how old they are. He has sections after each chapter where there are questions with room to write answers to help getting those ideas flowing. I think this is a great book for any young person who is in need of inspiration to be a difference in their own communities and the world.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a teenager who began a campaign to raise money to help raise awareness and money to help free people from slavery when he was 12 years old, this book is geared towards teens to help them to see that they can make a difference in the world and help in the fight against slavery. The book has encouraging stories and helpful hints and exercises to help teens learn about slavery and abolition and how they can fight against child labor and slavery and help others. I highly recommend this book to teenagers and church youth groups.
I got this book free to review from goodreads.

[Kim Heimbuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly inspiring book and I think books like this should be mandatory reading in middle. Our youth need inspiration and guidance and what better way then to share an empowering story by someone they can closely relate too. Zach Hunter is one such fellow as he tells his story about the fight to end slavery on a global scale and that one person can make a difference.

First Reads book

[April Suter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find your passion and make a difference in this world. This motivating book gives many quotes and is inspiring. Zach's is modern day slavery.

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." Abraham Lincoln

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." Ralph Waldo Emerson

169 pages

[Ronnica Fatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for older children and teens as an introduction to modern-day slavery. Zach spends a lot of time highlighting good examples of people who made a difference, past and present. I love that he goes beyond talking about it and really encourages his readers to do something about it.

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for teenagers who want to change the world one person at a time.
Zach Hunter has a great way of addressing real problems with easy to understand facts
examples. Issues facing the world, such as modern day slavery, are things this book bring to
light. This book also has many links and sources to where readers can also do their own
research and get updated information.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was straightfirward and very inspiring. I enjoyed the part on influence- it challenged me to see how much influence I have in my life. All in all, a great book that I would recomend to anyone!

[Justin Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book! Zach Hunter shares his amazing stories in freeing slaves and changing a world to make a difference. The book is very inspirational and motivates me to doing more things that would make a difference and make the world a better place.

[Jtolan1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational book for young adults. "Be the Change" is especially useful for encouraging awareness and reflection about social justice. Some references to religious faith are included, which may limit its appropriateness in a secular environment.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable book, that is full of thought provoking challenge to find your God-inspired passion and act upon it. A good book to discuss in a group setting, as the discussion questions at the end of each chapter allow for small group use, very easily.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by a teen, geared toward teens. It's a good introduction to an important issue, with helpful info and discussion questions (at least, in the revised version.) Reading it as an adult, though, I thought was truly just "ok."

[Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this book one star. I think what Zach is doing is great and modern-day slavery is a terrible issue we need to learn more about, but this book just failed to deliver on how I can be freeing slaves and changing the world like the title promised.

[SunnyD · Rating 3 out of 5]

the boy seemed to enjoy, and learn a lot, from it. he read it rather quickly, too. i need to catch up!

[Vernon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple read with good insights. Its definitely a book meant for middle/high school age kids.

[Larissa Kosits · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book, but even for my middle school aged girls it got repetative. Its a great message, a truel story, and worth knowing about. Great for kicking off discussions.