Stern Belief in ZERO*

Stern Belief in ZERO*
By Shaynin Jade Richardson

Caryl M. Stern's book cover

I Believe in Zero by Caryl M.Stern, is an enthralling story about the experiences that the president and CEO of the U.S. Fund of UNICEF, Caryl M. Stern,  has while traveling with the UNICEF mission. She tells about the places she goes all around the world and captivates the stories of the people she meets along the way

            I enjoyed most aspects of the book and appreciate the emotional appeal that Stern presents to her reader. I believe that Stern’s prestigious ranking gave the book more credentials and even though the book was not a direct product of UNICEF, they will benefit from it tremendously. She mentions that all proceeds of the book go to UNICEF but UNICEF had nothing to do with its publication. I felt that occasionally Stern would drift away from her main focus of defining the UNICEF mission, but since the book is not a direct product of UNICEF, Stern has not reason for justifying her interpersonal experience that may have only applied to her. When she expresses those incidents, I believe it introduced a more intimate discussion of UNICEF’s operation. 

            I liked Stern’s approach and execution of this book. It simply and emotionally attaches the reader to the UNICEF mission giving it some kind of importance. Stern’s involvement with the mission gives me a deeper appreciation for UNICEF as a whole.

 Check out this inspirational video about UNICEF's ZERO mission:

The World Outside My World

Source: unicef.ie

By: Vivian Salamanca  

I Believe in Zero

Caryl. M. Stern

254 pages

McMillan Publishers

“If she could give birth with so little and fight so hard to ensure that her child is free from AIDS, then there had to be more I could do to help. I wanted to travel to other new places that would challenge me and shift my perspective.” 

    With a fresh outlook, Caryl M. Stern described her determination after encountering Rosa, a new mother who was infected with the AIDS virus, but was forced to go through lengths to prevent her newborn to be cursed with the same fate. This excerpt from the novel appropriately provides light into the process of coming to terms with the reality of the cruel world we live in and the hope one finds when joining the good fight.

Source: unicefusa.org

Stern was raised, as some would describe, as privileged growing up in Westchester, NY. Not knowing true hardships, her world came to a screeching halt after she quickly took over a position she had little background in within UNICEF. This position quickly opened her eyes to the brutal realities of the world outside, but also the possibilities where one can relate. Throughout her novel, she carefully uses a healthy balance of empathy and inspiration to describe real stories she embarked on, helping the reader relate to this injustice within real families. This particular injustice is just that—an injustice due to a lack of attention. The issue of disease and poverty in these malnourished countries can be prevented with proper attention, if attention is brought to it, and Stern does just that. 

Source: unicef.ie

These powerful messages convicted with a fight for justice and freedom are laced within stories of hope and passion. Stern beautifully provides the light in this deep, troubled tunnel. Among the convicting stories, Stern also challenges the public to step out of the comfort zone, much like she did many years ago, and react to this global tragedy. This public challenge can be countered with a simple donation or intentional action. Take your pick and respond to the world challenges we live in.

Saying is one thing, acting is another.

by Eva Vaitanaki

I Believe in Zero.
Carly M. Stern
254 pages
St. Martin’s Press
Hardcover: $19.19 (Amazon)

Source: Cindy Ord/Getty Images North America.

                One episode that was really striking to me is when Carly M. Stern goes to Darfur. This chapter let the reader know why she is so concerned by humanitarian action, how much she cares about it, how people survive after horrible things happened to them.

Carly M. Stern is the current President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. For most of her life, Carly M. Stern has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Associate National Director of the Anti-Defamation League; the founding Director of ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Institute; and the Dean of Students at Polytechnic University. Really involved in humanitarian projects, Ms. Stern also wrote books to share her experience with the world, revealing some aspects of some countries that some people are not always aware of.

Photos courtesy of Bryan Kasm/HSN

Her last book I Believe in ZERO deals with her new position as a CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the bad conditions in which people live and are exposed to everyday in some disadvantaged countries. The book is written in such a way that you can easily identify to the author, as if we were here when the scenes she describes, happened. Very easy to read and to understand, Ms. Stern broaches many aspects of people’s lives, from the good to the bad sometimes comparing our lives to theirs.

Through her writing, Carly M. Stern makes us, as readers and individuals, aware of the situation in those countries as well as realize how lucky we are. I would strongly recommend that book.

If you want to help those people in need, please feel free to go on their website and donate. Or if you want to get involved in UNICEF Missions, you can follow them on Twitter, Facebook.

Poverty Has a Face

"I have a picture in my mind that stays with me wherever I go,” writes author Caryl M. Stern in her first sentence of the second chapter of her novel.

 Stern follows with a story about her mother and her uncle as Jewish children, being sent to the United States on a ship to escape the horrors of the Nazi regime in Austria. Her deep faith is something Stern draws from to inspire her throughout her novel, and after I read this scene in the book I felt connect to her for the first time even though I don’t share her religion. She tells a story that pains your soul a little bit, seeing these children all alone having to leave everything behind because of the evil racism that destroyed everyone they loved.

All the had was each other, yet they create this image of freedom as they sail away. It’s a freedom you find even yourself wanting to fight for as you read where Stern drives her motivations from.

Caryl M. Stern gives a speech at the first annual UNICEF Women of Compassion Luncheon on February 11,  2011 at a private residence in Los Angeles, California 

Caryl M. Stern is not only an author, but the current President and CEO of the U.S. fund for UNICEF as well as a wife and mother of three sons. She graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta with a Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and spent 27 years serving in nonprofit and education work. 

The subject of her book, I Believe in Zero, is a book about putting passion into reality. Every chapter tells individual stories, which, together, give a human face to the reality that world hunger, poverty and disease exist. This book beautifully compels the reader to see his or her role in ending these global issues. It encourages the reader by describing the actions that have been and will continue to decrease the number of people affected by these global issues.

I believe Stern’s eloquently combines the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in her writing to cover a topic that is widely known but often overlooked. She gives a human face to global issues, allowing the reader to connect with the people who are experiencing hunger, poverty or disease. Her personal stories compel people to take actions. Moreover, she describes activities that organizations such as UNICEF have allowed her to be a part of to end these global issues. She gives logical steps people can take in response to this book, and she also has ethical and logical proof that specific actions are being accomplished. The only weakness I discovered through her writing was a religious bias she described that usually motivated everything she did. I think she sometimes crossed the line of respect for all other religions or lack of religion that, universally, people fall fall under.

Overall Stern has excellent writing techniques and personal experience to draw from that motivate readers to take up their role in international aid. She connects with the business leaders, mothers, college and even high school students. Her stories show a broad range of activities she and others have been involved in, and they come from a normal person who developed a passion to change the world.

Team UNICEF student volunteers pose for a photo at third annual Campus Initiative Summit in New York City, New York in October 2011.

I would strongly encourage others to read this book, because you won’t put it down and you won’t be ignorant of the reality of life for people all over the world.

What will you do to believe in Zero? 

I Believe in ZERO - Caryl M. Stern

I Believe in ZERO: Learning from the Worlds Children

Caryl M. Stern

272 pages

St. Martin’s Press

Waiting on the world to change

By Kirsten Pagnotta

Carly M. Stern grew up in New York a go-getter. She was always pushing the limit and achieving things she put her mind to. In 2006 she joined the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and shortly after became one of the top dogs in the company. Stern wanted to help raise money and awareness for impoverished countries but what she got out of this job was so much more. Stern traveled to the countries and found the people she met inspirational and the places she visited unacceptable.

 

I Believe in ZERO shares many of Stern’s stories about the journeys she took and the individuals she met that touched her throughout her visits. The first story, which grabs your attention off the bat, is Stern’s first trip to Mozambique. This is when Stern finds out what poverty really is. She tells the stories with so much detail that I can imagine myself there walking the streets with her. This story is what projects the whole book and starts off with in your face details and imagery that gets the reader wanting to learn more about her findings.

This book is an awesome PR tool for UNICEF, due to it’s gutting stories that stab you right in the heart. Stern talks about children who are sick and don’t even have clean water, orphanages in Haiti that are overflowing because of the Earth Quake, along with comparing the life of these children to the life of her own.

Picking up this book will take you straight to the communities where Stern traveled as well as straight to your checkbook to help these children.

 To buy I Believe in ZERO click here

To learn more information about UNICEF and their mission click here

"I Believe in Zero" Review by Brianna Hopkins

I Believe In Zero

By: Brianna Hopkins

Source: www.unicefusa.org

Source: www.internationalwatersafetyday.org

The novel, I Believe in Zero, written by Carolyn M. Stern, is a story that I highly recommend to anyone.  From mission trips to fundraisers, Stern left me completely inspired and wanting to be apart of this great cause.  We live in a world that does not allow certain people to be as fortunate as others and this book really opened my eyes to that.

The author of this novel, Carolyn M. Stern, is the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. UNICEF is a non-profit organization that strives to help make the world a better place for young children. They strive to help prevent violence and trafficking, promote a better educational system and provide support for young children with disabilities.  

I Believe in Zero gave me an opportunity to get complete insight to these situations going on across the world. Stern is an unbelievable writer and her actions have inspired me so incredibly much. Living in the greatest country in the world and going to such a great university to receive an amazing education makes me feel so incredibly fortunate after reading this novel.  The whole point of this story is to achieve the goal of leaving zero children hungry, alone, neglected, or ill. Through Stern’s stories of all her travels and experiences, she is ultimately saving thousands of lives… one novel at a time.