The Blue Sweater

Short review: This is a very good memoir of a talented American woman that goes to Africa to do good. She spends a lot of time on her early years, where she has a lot of learning to do. But that is really only a couple years. Eventually she comes back to the US goes to business school, works in the philanthropic world to try and train people to think holistically about their giving and leadership development and then starts the Acumen Fund to put those principles of development into practice. There is a very good section on the Rwandan genocide because much of her early work was in Rwanda. Novogratz goes back to Rwanda several times after the genocide to find friends and meet with women she knew on both sides of the genocide. The book is very much focused on trying to help people through business methods, instead of traditional charity. It is not anti-charity, but thinks there is a place for alternative methods.


Long review on my blog at http://www.mrshields.com/the-blue-sweater-bridging-the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-in-an-interconnected-world-by-jacqueline-novogratz/