The International Bank of Bob: Summary and book reviews of The International Bank of Bob by Bob Harris, plus links to an excerpt from The International Bank of Bob and a biography of Bob Harris.
The International Bank of Bob Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time
by Bob Harris
Hardcover: Mar 2013,
416 pages.
Hired by ForbesTraveler.com to review some of the most luxurious accommodations on Earth, and then inspired by a chance encounter in Dubai with the impoverished workers whose backbreaking jobs create such opulence, Bob Harris had an epiphany: He would turn his own good fortune into an effort to make lives like theirs better. Bob found his way to Kiva.org, the leading portal through which individuals make microloans all over the world: for as little as $25-50, businesses are financed and people are uplifted. Astonishingly, the repayment rate was nearly 99%, so he re-loaned the money to others over and over again.
After making hundreds of microloans online, Bob wanted to see the results first-hand, and in The International Bank of Bob he travels from Peru and Bosnia to Rwanda and Cambodia, introducing us to some of the most inspiring and enterprising people we've ever met, while illuminating day-to-day life-political and emotional-in much of the world that Americans never see. Told with humor and compassion, The International Bank of Bob brings the world to our doorstep, and makes clear that each of us can, actually, make it better.
Bob Harris educates, amuses, and introduces readers to people we're honored to know, all while explaining the sometimes complex workings of micro-finance in a lively and lucid way. (Reviewed by Jo Perry).
Publishers Weekly
There's ample humor and empathy, yet the book's tone, sentimentality, and extensive footnotes undermine the well-meaning intentions of his literary, if not his actual, enterprise.
Kirkus Reviews
In an engaging, fully transparent, upbeat narrative, with chockablock footnotes and resources, Harris presents the MFI case very persuasively.
Joss Whedon
No book this important should be this delightful. Bob Harris's funny, tender, and incisive opus works as both an engaging personal memoir and a clear introduction to the world of micro finance.
Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group
Surprising in so many ways: a travelogue that makes the people in exotic locales as accessible as your next-door neighbors; a book about poverty alleviation that often makes you laugh out loud (or cry, sometimes on the same page.); and a portrayal of loving families in challenging environments that leaves you feeling stronger, more connected to the world, and full of hope. In short: joyous, human, and inspiring.
Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature
Bob Harris shows us how to save the world without being an insufferable prig - The International Bank of Bob is enlightening, inspiring, and entertaining.
Arthur Phillips, author of The Tragedy of Arthur
Read this book. Be amazed at a man as decent as Bob Harris. Learn how the world works. Actually help improve the world. And be entertained, amused, and enlightened along the way. Seriously. Just by reading a book.
Ken Jennings, author of Because I Said So!
Truly inspirational. Ten minutes after I finished this book, The International Bank of Ken opened in Cambodia.
Founded in 2005, Kiva.org is a non-profit that uses the Internet and a global network of micro-finance institutions to allow people to make loans that will help alleviate poverty and create financial independence. Loans can be as small as $25. Once a loan is made, the lender receives updates. As the loan is repaid, the money is credited to the lender's account and is ready to be used again for another loan.
Both lenders and borrowers have profiles on the Kiva.org site. Lenders learn about the people who receive their loans—who they are, where they live, their families, and their plans for using the borrowed funds. Lenders can choose among categories such as housing, "green" or transportation, can choose...
This autobiography of the world-renowned, visionary economist who came up with a simple but revolutionary solution to end world poverty - micro-credit.
This powerful and inspiring book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.
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(1018 words).
Publishers Weekly
Joss Whedon
Both lenders and borrowers have profiles on the Kiva.org site. Lenders learn about the people who receive their loans—who they are, where they live, their families, and their plans for using the borrowed funds. Lenders can choose among categories such as housing, "green" or transportation, can choose...
