2009 Holiday Reading List

Spirit of Service: Your Daily Stimulus for Making a Difference by HarperCollins Publishers. Intentions into actions: This is the driving force behind Spirit of Service. With 365 daily vignettes, adults and adolescents worldwide can and are making a difference through volunteerism, philanthropy and activism. On a day-by-day basis, readers can learn more about grassroots efforts that they can support, and how to make a difference every day.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. An engrossing tale of a 14-year-old boy from Malawi who, like his Silicon Valley brethren, follows his entrepreneurial drive and against all odds and with only scrap metal, built a power-generating windmill. Through ingenuity and courage, he changes his life, his family and his village.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. “Women hold up half the sky,” according to a Chinese saying. With Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Kristof and WuDunn as our guides, readers explore the struggles millions of women throughout the world face—and learn about the individuals and non-profit organizations determined to eliminate oppression and spark opportunity. With passion and resilience, the uplifting stories of women around the world making strides in retail businesses, medicine and science provide hope.

Power Trip: From Oil Wells to Solar Cells—Our Ride to the Renewable Future by Amanda Little. To truly understand energy consumption, our dependency on fossil fuels and how it touches virtually every product we rely upon, Little takes us on a voyage of discovery. From organic foods to medical devices, she examines how fossil fuels factor into design, production, delivery and recycling. Business visionaries, environmental leaders and concerned citizens alike will find Power Trip illuminating, and its ideas inspiring.

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan Roth (Illustrator). A beautifully illustrated story of strength and care that chronicles Dr. Greg Mortenson’s failed climb up K2, and how the villagers of a remote Himalayan town cared for him. Told by the Korphe village children, the adventure takes on new meaning of survival, cultural traditions, sharing and healing.

The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care by T. R. Reid. Take a journey into health-care systems around the world with Reid and you will quickly gain a deeper understanding of the immense issues facing the United States. While America possesses some of the most highly trained doctors, researchers, and medical equipment in the world, the author explores in an engaging non-partisan manner what the United States can potentially learn and leverage by examining coverage models, access and efficiencies of other developed nations.

A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing by Jim Rogers. Share in the wisdom and valuable lessons on life, passion and finding your own investment path in the world offered by legendary investor Rogers as a guide to his two daughters. A perfect read for all generations, A Gift to My Children promotes the importance of self-reliance, bold thinking and strong, unwavering ethics—all core tenets for the way forward.