Book: The Power of Half

Published on March 21, 2010 by Mike Forrest

Been reading a book for the last few weeks called the power of half. It’s the story of a family from Atlanta that decided to sell their 1.6 million dollar home, buy one that was half the price, and give the rest to the Hunger Project (which used the money to empower two major villages in Ghana, giving 40,000 people access to fresh-water, medicine, micro-loans, education and more – all of which was self-sustaining by the local people). Half of one house changed 40,000 lives.

The remarkable part of this book is not that the parents let their 14 year old daughter convince them to do this, but that they entered into this two year process of meeting together and talking about what their family response to hunger and poverty should be. Sure, to sell their house is an astounding, counter-cultural act of sacrifice in the name of philanthropy. But how they did this – not just what they did – is why every American family should read this book.

Go to a bookstore, find The Power of Half, grab a latte and read the first chapter. Also, bring enough money to purchase the book once you’re hooked.

Special thanks to NPR for featuring the father/daughter (Kevin and Hannah Salwen).

Check out The Power of Half at their website or Facebook fan page.