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190 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2014
I am not sure what I expected when I received this book. I suppose I was thinking of lots of great narrative stories of how the idea of a savings group that starts from actual savings rather than debt can change lives. I did get that, which is awesome. But this book is more than just stories - it is action. How these lives have been changed, and what steps can be enacted to follow in Mr. Ashe's footsteps. It is a how-to for those in development who specialize in microfinance and for those interested in ways of elevating the poor into a higher economic sphere.
For the rest of us out there not focusing on microfinance in developing countries it is still an important and moving book but... a little less for the masses. This is a treatise that is for the informed international worker, student, activist that want to enact a change in the world from the bottom up. It is a great resource for teaching material but fell a bit flat for me, someone with a more casual interest in the subject. I fear I am not quite the right audience for this book for all that I do, in fact, work in the non-profit sphere. I appreciate the sentiment and I definitely am glad that I can view the world in a slightly different manner by picking this book up but unless I was planning on working in development in a more campaign-related way it is more informative than action-related for me. I am not in the position to be out in the field in a developing country but if I were - or if I felt the call of Peace Corp - then I would definitely want to bring this book with me.
This is a rather hard review to write as I wanted to give this book a 5-star review but to me this book is definitely a "like" rather than "it was amazing". I think that falls more to me and where I currently am in my life than to this book. It is a good solid book with good solid ideas that would become amazing in the right hands. I'm sorry to say that those hands are not mine.