If it Takes a Village, Build one : : how I Found Meaning Through a Life Service and 100+ Ways you can too

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Introduction: The glorious adventure of a life in service -- Each one, teach one -- Me to we : finding myself by serving others -- Raising children who give -- When a cause finds you : one person at a time changing the world -- When catastrophe strikes : finding strength and confronting challenges -- Citizens of the world -- Spreading the seeds : the power of the media -- If it takes a village, build one -- Speaking up and taking a stand.

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not very practical submitted by camelsamba on July 14, 2011, 9:39pm I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I picked it up at a juncture in my life, trying to decide which direction to head. I expected practical advice along the lines of: how to figure out if you want a career with a non-profit, what kinds of work are behind the scenes, etc. But I suppose that would be a book about work, not volunteer service.

I didn't realize that the author is a celebrity of sorts (wife of Chris Rock). And although the overview says "part memoir, part practical guide" it's way more memoir than practical guide. I was trying my best not to be cynical, but someone reading this who wasn't already doing service and volunteer work might end up thinking "this kind of stuff is only possible for people who are on speaking terms with Oprah and other power brokers." Maybe it's because she spent so much time at the end on her Journey for Change project - which is very a very impressive initiative! - but not something a beginner is going to accomplish. Perhaps the book would be better if it started with the pie-in-the-sky world-changing stuff and then pulled back to more practical things that ordinary folks can do. I say this as an ordinary person who is involved in volunteer work - but without much in the way of social capital amongst movers and shakers, and no interest in organizing things from the ground up.