"I Believe in Zero" - Review

by Andrew McDonald

            The opening of Caryl M. Stern’s I Believe in Zero feels like the opening of a TV show you’d find on AMC during their peak Breaking Bad-era. She recounts her experience of meeting Rosa, a new mother in Mozambique, who informs Stern that this child is the “first one that survived.”

            And with that, the book begins.

I Believe in Zero by Caryl M. Stern
Photo Credit: UNICEF

            Stern’s recounting of her time with UNICEF is a powerful, emotional journey that will leave you feeling both cathartic and exhausted by the end of each chapter, which, essentially, function as episodes (going back to my TV show analogy). Stern’s writing is clear and deliberate. She tells her story with relative ease and grace, skimming over details that aren’t as impactful and really drawing the action and emotion when the moment calls for it.

            I keep brining up the similarities between her writing and good TV, because, well, her writing is incredibly cinematic. When she describes a new environment, I not only pictured it in my mind, but I could smell the air, feel the weather and environment. I choked up several times, but none so much as the initial encounter with Rosa, whose story only gets more harrowing the more you read.

"But does she cook meth?...Didn't think so."
Photo Credit: AMC

            Overall, I would definitely recommend I Believe in Zero to anyone who enjoys a cinematic storytelling style of nonfiction. I would never have considered myself a fan of this kind of book before reading it, but, if it’s good, it’s good, and I Believe in Zero has made me a believer.

Will it be YOU?

Katie Carter

JMC 3423-004

Carstarphen

21 April 2014

Start Something That Matters

Blake Mycoskie

212 Pages

Spiegel & Grau Random House Group

Will it be YOU?

            Blake Mycoskie, author of Start Something That Matters and Chief Shoe Giver for TOMS, took a vacation to Argentina and promised himself he would not think about work. During his time there, Mycoskie met a woman who was holding a shoe drive for children in Argentina. She explained the lack of decent shoes in many countries similar to Argentina. After the quick introduction to shoeless children, Mycoskie began to notice the intense need and the many blisters and sores the children had. He brainstormed many ideas for donors but non-profits but he began to think, “Maybe the solution was in entrepreneurship, not charity” (Start Something That Matters 6).

         

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/28/wendys-snapple-perdue-leadership-cmo-network-hotshots.html                                                                      http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10723236-start-something-that-matters

  TOMS is a company with three different branches: shoes, glasses and coffee. Each branch has a “One for One” solution. Each time a product is purchased, another will be sent to someone in need. Essentially every time someone purchases from TOMS, someone in one of 60 countries is helped. Mycoskie is uniquely qualified to write this book because he began this company and it has become a worldwide trend. He put his business talents and his heart for others together to create an incredible movement.

           

            Mycoskie’s book, Start Something That Matters is uniquely written and easy to follow. It gives a step-by-step breakdown of his journey and ways for others to carry on this same idea. I learned great tips on creating a meaningful company that creates profit but also encourages charitable giving. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a difference in this world and leave it better than when they entered it. Mycoskie is a gracious man with a lot to teach the rest of us. It’s an inspiring read with a lesson for all.