At the end of the day helping people is harder than it looks and our efforts to help other people have this somewhat mixed record; but we have this almost perfect record of helping ourselves. ~ Nick Kristof ~
I’m currently reading “A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity” written by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning, married journalists. These same authors who wrote “Half the Sky” a book I’ve mentioned before. Neither of these books is written to be page turners that are read at one sitting, they are both well thought-out, researched books which should be “absorbed”. This book is a collection of ideas and examples of how to fight inequality and help others globally and in our own communities.
The video today is an interview with the authors and in it they cite several examples of stories in the book and give a good outline of its contents. The book itself is a great place to start or even expand on how people can give back even in small ways and offers tutoring on how to be an effective contributor. It doesn’t always take a lot of money to make a difference. Just a short way through the book I’m astonished about how a few simple things can make a huge difference in the lives of others. It’s definitely not filled with “roses and sunshine” but it is meaningful if you’re thinking about how to make an impact no matter how small. Come on, you can do it.
Other resources for “A Path Appears”:
http://www.npr.org/books/titles/347663239/a-path-appears-transforming-lives-creating-opportunity
http://news.yahoo.com/katie-couric-interviews-nicholas-kristof-and-sheryl-wudunn-212259011.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-thompson/the-wisdom-of-kristofs-an_b_6171734.html
In Da Campo 
I love both of their books and am impressed with their incredible commitment to humanity and especially women (Half the Sky, we are!).
Here’s a constructive suggestion: Why don’t you write a review of this book? Since you are already reading it, it would not be much work to take a few notes and to summarize the content and add your evaluation. You could post your review on your blog and on Amazon as a customer review. The length is up to the reviewer. I have found that around 1,000 words allows readers to get a good idea about a book’s content and significance.