Dim Sum

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The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World

The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz is tale of personal growth. After decades working in Africa on poverty reduction, Novogratz founded the Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund, in 2001. Acumen Fund puts capital into big ideas that come from unlikely investments: people and communities who have long been left out of the market. The model demands sustainability and accountability, unlike many charity models. What is so magical about Novogratz’s own story is its sharp contrast to the stories of the poor individuals she has spent her life helping. A charmed character in a charmed life, Novoratz is an upper middle class white girl from Virginia who effortlessly ascends the ranks of the UN and American Foundations. Novogratz’s personal story almost overshadows her important, nuanced messages on poverty and development, but not quite. Her emphasis is on the poor as the customer (or proprietor) - an active agent in and of change - rather than the poor as recipient. It is a delicate but critical difference, and that difference is agency. She leads by example, working directly with and supporting small businesses in Rwanda, India and elsewhere, whose shaky business models eventually gain the legs to climb out of poverty. It is a powerful testament to market-based philanthropy, a notion that has been gaining popularity in recent years, as have microfinance efforts like Kiva and Grameen. These models offer individuals in the developed world a more engaged and measurable way to help effect change, while empowering the rights of poor individuals. The “blue sweater” refers to Novogratz’s beloved childhood sweater, which she gives to the Goodwill in Virginia, only to see worn by a scrappy Rwandan boy a decade later. It is a powerful, if dubitable, emblem of interconnectedness that reminds us, as different as our lives may be, we all inhabit the same globe. So what are we going to do about it?
   - Jessica Mack

Beauty Salon

Set in a Latin American town amidst an epidemic with no cure, Mario Bellatín’s Beauty Salon (City Lights Books) is a poignant and disturbing novella about a transvestite who converted his salon into the Terminal, a hospice where men dying from the disease can end their days. Translated from the original Spanish version by Kurt Hollander, the piece has echoes of the AIDS pandemic - the stigma, the physical suffering, the hopelessness. At the same time, the book highlights a man who has dedicated the last part of his life to caring for strangers in need. With its abstractness and raw language, Beauty Salon offers no answers, nor does it elicit tears, but it does hold a mirror to how we as a society look at those who are most impacted by disease.

Stones into Schools

What can one person do to change the world? Quite a bit, actually. Greg Mortenson is proof. His story is detailed in the book, Three Cups of Tea. A promise to children in a remote village became a phenomenon that has provided thousands of children in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan with an education. His new book, Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs (Viking) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, follows up where his first left off. Though it hardly needs introduction, Stones into Schools is a testament to the power each of us holds to make a difference. Read it, share it, and inspire others to make change happen.

Zeitoun

Zeitoun (McSweeney’s), by Dave Eggers, is the true story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian migrant to New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina begins bearing down on New Orleans, Zeitoun stays behind to watch over their home. He paddles around the flooded city rescuing those in need and even feeding the dogs in that have been left in their homes while their families are away. He is able to call in and chat with his wife, Kathy, every day. But nearly a week after the levees broke, he doesn’t call again. The last third of the book focuses upon Zeitoun’s incarceration following Katrina. The story of Zeitoun is brought to life with engaging descriptions, vivid conversations, and fascinating insights.
- Geoff Calver

The Slow Poisoning Of India

The Slow Poisoning of India is a short documentary (26 minutes) that focuses on the problem of pesticide use in India and its adverse affects on children growing up in farming areas that use DDT and other harmful pesticides. The documentary focuses on children who have become paralyzed after walking through fields to class each day and tells stories of young children who have developed slowly because of the pesticides in the water and in the air. The Slow Poisoning of India highlights not only the damage caused by pesticides but it also highlights the fight that is growing across India to reduce pesticide use and educate the public on the dangers of pesticides.
- Geoff Calver

 

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