My latest favorite book is Shrewd Samaritan: Faith, Economics, and the Road to Loving Our Global Neighbor by Bruce Wydick. This book so impressed me I bought a dozen copies and gave them to people who should read it. And who should read it? Anyone working in poverty alleviation, anyone giving to charitable organizations, and anyone interested in how to measure impact.
Reading this book was like a breath of fresh air. Faith based but not preachy, practical but compassionate, and thoughtful without being academic. If you read this blog then you know a book that focuses on how to impact the poor and how to support poverty alleviation organizations wisely (thus the shrewd Samaritan) is exactly the kind of book I love. Especially when written through the lens of an economist.
So if you are looking for a lightweight summer read….well, skip this one. Maybe read the appendix at the end of the book; it is lightweight, fun, and imaginative. But the rest, just wait until you can read deeply into the ideas, experiences, and insights of the author. Take your time. You won’t be disappointed.