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One afternoon in 1976 an economics professor, taking a walk in a village in Bangladesh, met a poor woman. The woman was trying to support herself by constructing and selling bamboo stools. She earned two cents a day. When the professor asked her why her profit was so low, she explained that the only person who would lend her money to buy bamboo was the trader who purchased her final product and the price he set barely covered her costs. The professor's instinct was to open his wallet and give her some money. Then he had another thought: Why not give her a loan?
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About the Author:
David Bornstein is a journalist who has written articles for Atlantic Monthly, Details, Newsday, and Science. He is author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, which was described by the Iew York Times as "must reading" for "anyone who cares about building a more equitable and therefore a more stable world."
From Kirkus Reviews:
David Bornstein is a journalist who has written articles for Atlantic Monthly, Details, Newsday, and Science. He is author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, which was described by the Iew York Times as "must reading" for "anyone who cares about building a more equitable and therefore a more stable world."
A welcome and readable account of the effort of a unique bank in Bangladesh to help that country's poor. Bangladeshi native Muhammad Yunus came to America to study economics and returned home to aid his countrymen. So poor that it is often called ``The Fifth World,'' Bangladesh has high poverty and birth rates and is frequently devastated by monsoons. Its thousands of villages are poor, but Yunus saw that many of the residents had real skills and came to believe that if they were provided with the means to borrow money they could find ways to support themselves. In 1975, he began what became the Grameen Bank (gram is the Bangla word for village) and distributed small loans- -some for as little as five dollars--to the poorest. Most of the loan takers were women. In return, he demanded precise, weekly repayment of the loans and insisted that villagers join together in small groups so that if a member fell behind, the others would encourage her to pay her loan. Yunus kept Grameen bound to its ideals, and today the bank thrives, lending at a fair interest rate while still turning a profit. It has made loans in excess of $1.5 billion and has over one thousand branch offices. The employees of Grameen have an absolute dedication to the bank, and the bank has had an enormous effect on Bangladesh. Bornstein, a journalist, does an excellent job of tracing the growth of the bank in relationship to the country's recent history. He also cogently explains why large public works projects in developing countries are frequently disasters. Yunus's view, one that he teaches to other countries as well, is that the populace of a developing nation must learn to take care of itself. A genuinely amazing story and an interesting read in an age when aid to the poor is demonized. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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- PublisherTouchstone
- Publication date1999
- ISBN 10 0684870495
- ISBN 13 9780684870496
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages368
- Rating
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The Price of a Dream
Published by
Touchstone
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0684870495
ISBN 13: 9780684870496
Used
Paperback
Quantity: 1
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Tight binding with no spine creases, mild wear, no markings, not a remainder. Seller Inventory # a729
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Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank and the Idea That Is Helping the Poor to Change Their Lives.
Published by
Simon & Schuster, New York, NY
(1999)
ISBN 10: 0684870495
ISBN 13: 9780684870496
Used
Paperback
First Edition
Quantity: 1
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Rating
Book Description Paperback. First Edition Thus (1999), so stated. First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Very Near Fine in Wraps: shows only a hint of wear to extremities with the faintest crease near the lower front corner; the binding shows very slight lean, while remaining perfectly secure; text clean. Free of creases to the backstrip. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, or labels. A handsome copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing the very mildest wear and a minor cosmetic imperfection. Bright and clean. Corners sharp. Very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (9 x 6 x 1 inches). 370 pages. Index. Language: Englsih. Weight: 21.5 ounces. Trade Paperback. More than just a casual pass through Bangladesh to investigate Grameen Bank, the micro-credit phenomenon started a quarter century ago by Muhammad Yunus, The Price of a Dream puts a human face on the poor of this impoverished Asian country, formerly known as East Pakistan, where there are tens of millions of families so impoverished that one cannot begin to understand the depth of their deprivation. Bornstein weaves a mesmerizing pattern of the richness of Bangladeshi life amid trying circumstances. How people cope, how they react to successes and disasters, how they work to pull themselves up economically and socially: every thread is pulled through the loom in due course to render a true and clear representation of lives on the ragged edge. Thanks to loans from Grameen, millions of families have been able to hem that edge, one stitch at a time, to finish off their piece of cloth. Micro-credit empowers the unempowered. No one has described that process better than David Bornstein. First Edition Thus (1999), so stated. First Printing indicated by a complete numerical sequence. Seller Inventory # 56924
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