Why I Highly Recommend The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz

I write about a lot of things here on my personal blog. Sometimes it’s simply observations on life. Sometimes it’s a beautiful day at the park. Sometimes it’s the latest skincare products. And then I write about how we might change the world.

You see, my blog works a lot like my mind does. My interests run the gamut. I like my life. I like every day pleasures. But I also enjoy learning more about the big picture. The global picture. I like knowing that we’re all connected. Women here in the United States struggling to be good mothers and raising our children the best we can. And the same is happening in Liberia and Bangladesh and France. We are all connected in ways we don’t even understand yet.

When my friend Heidi approached me about starting Charitable Influence (which didn’t actually have a name at the time), I thought it sounded like a good idea but wasn’t really sure how to make it work. In fact, we’re still figuring out our niche but we know that bloggers using their voices is already making a difference and we’re proud to be part of that.

But let’s be honest. Heidi and I have some frank discussions. We talk about how it’s overwhelming sometimes to look at the big picture. How we feel like we are such insignificant players and what difference can we really make. We talk about how it would be so much easier to just keep working on our blogs. I could keep reviewing dresses and cell phones (which I still like to do) and Heidi could keep writing about philanthropy. But we wouldn’t really make a difference that way.

In one of these discussions, Heidi told me to check out a book called The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz, one of her personal heroes. I hadn’t heard of the book or the author. She told me it might be a little hard to read but that it was worth it.

So I downloaded the audiobook of The Blue Sweater and listened to it sporadically as I was driving back and forth preparing for our move. When I heard her recount the story of where the book title came from, I was riveted.

Now I know what the fuss is all about. I do think Jacqueline Novogratz is an amazingly savvy woman. She’s smart, has a head for business, and a heart for the greater good. She doesn’t want to save the world. She wants to empower them to save themselves. Her book, The Blue Sweater, is riveting, educational, informative, and will absolutely change your perspective on global poverty and how charity can help and sometimes hurt a chance for change.

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