Publishing information:
Azim Jamal & Harvey McKinnon
New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008. 188pp. Hardback. ISBN 978-1-58542-668-3 $22.95
Billed as a ‘down to earth’ guide to giving, this book explores the act of giving (financial and otherwise) and offers advice on whom to give to, when to give and howmuch. The authors are both described as ‘inspirational speakers’ with extensive experience of fundraising and volunteering, who draw on anecdotes from their own lives to clarify their points. The book is written in a conversational style, designed to help readers to finessetheir ‘giving skills’ and provide inspiration by emphasising the positive consequences of giving for both the recipients of the gift and the giver. Whilst inspirational quotes and stories are not everyone’s cup of tea, this book contains some particularly good examples of quotes and secular parables that illustrate the authors’ argument. For example, it offers a story of a man whowent to his empty fireplace and said: “Give me heat and I’ll give you the wood” – just as the wood must precede the heat, so, this book argues, giving must precede a rich and happy life.
