Product Description

'You must be the change you wish to see in the world.' So Gandhi advised. Today, there's a growing movement of people who are standing up and taking action to create positive change. Be uplifted by the stories of 28 pioneers, social entrepreneurs, activists and campaigners working in many fields - including the media, education, health, peace, finance, business and the environment. In exclusive interviews, individuals working on all scales - from global and national to local and grassroots levels - tell us how and why they are bringing positive change. They share the challenges and the joys, and show that a brighter future is not only possible, it's already emerging. Read these accounts of dedication, innovation, determination and courage, and be inspired to know what anyone can achieve when they decide to be the change. Including, among others: social justice and water rights advocate Maude Barlow; award-winning social entrepreneur Taddy Blecher; peace campaigners Scilla Elworthy and Gill Hicks; Transition Initiatives founder Rob Hopkins; youth activist Craig Kielburger; holistic education pioneer Satish Kumar; Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai; Fair Trade trailblazer Safia Minney; sustainable development leader Jonathon Porritt; radical environmentalist Vandana Shiva; civil rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith; global fundraiser and visionary Lynne Twist; barrister/clown activist Jo Wilding; and Homeless World Cup co-founder Mel Young.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #268390 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
The challenge and joy of being alive. Beware! This book is powerful. It's moving, thought-provoking and a calling to care more and be more. Be the Change is superbly put together and packed with contributions from 28 pioneers such as social entrepreneurs, peace campaigners, civil rights lawyers and sustainable development leaders. Probably one of the most powerful, inspiring books we've reviewed in years. Hugely recommended! --CommunitySoul www.communitysoul.co.uk

A collection of first hand accounts from the heroes of our time, ranging from peace campaigners, fair trade trailblazers, radical environmentalists and so on. The wonderful thing about these people is that they made the decision to 'be the change' in situations where they knew that change was the only hope. These are ordinary people like you or me who are now almost celebrities in the world of social change. An excellent read. --Lifescape magazine

Gandhi's mantra that 'You must be the change you wish to see in the world' can often be hard to remember in today's modern life. Surely there's no possibility for real change these days? This collection of 28 interviews with some amazing people proves that's not the case. Inspired by the Be The Change conferences in London, Trenna has compiled the thoughts, backgrounds and experiences of some very interesting people: Jonathon Porritt, ever-present environmental voice; Gill Hicks, survivor of the 7/7 London bombings; Boo Armstrong, founder of NHS-complementary health therapy facilitator Get Well UK; and Craig Kielburger, who was an average Canadian teen until he decided to travel Asia and campaign against child slavery... You'll find it impossible not to be impressed and encouraged to do something to change your world after reading this; even just a little bit. --Healthy & Organic Living magazine

A collection of first hand accounts from the heroes of our time, ranging from peace campaigners, fair trade trailblazers, radical environmentalists and so on. The wonderful thing about these people is that they made the decision to 'be the change' in situations where they knew that change was the only hope. These are ordinary people like you or me who are now almost celebrities in the world of social change. An excellent read. --Lifescape magazine

This book is a refreshing antidote to mass-media news and societal cynicism. [The] text is both easy to read yet full of profound, essential messages. The book feels different from normal lighter, more wholesome somehow. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to be inspired, refreshed, motivated... or simply reassured that there are wonderful people out there doing wonderful things. --Caduceus journal

About the Author
Trenna Cormack's personal experience of being the change she wishes to see in the world encompasses working in the health and homelessness sectors, and teaching environmental and social justice seminars. After gaining editorial experience at Caduceus Journal, she took a leap. This book is the first fulfilment of a commitment she made at the Be The Change conference in 2005 to produce books that promote positive change.

Customer Reviews

A lovely and inspiring book
The author is an extremely gifted person who has managed to get around thirty of the most inspiring and therefore busy people around to give her their time and attention. She has kept them on subject and made them talk in their own voices about what they do, what drives them, and how the rest of us could - when we get off the sofa - follow their examples. She introduces each interviewee and then lets them talk about what they've done, how they came to be involved, how they did it, what obstacles they had to overcome, and what they would pass on to someone else to encourage them.

The result is passion. It comes off the page, you can hear their voices as you read the words. I was electrified by Clive Stafford Smith talking first about the death penalty in the US and then about suing George Bush to force the first official admission of the existence of the Guantanamo Bay camp. I was lifted by Van Jones' vision when he talked about lifting up a generation of lost Americans by giving them both a career and a central role in dealing with climate change. I was moved to tears by Gill Hicks' story of finding the power to forgive, to love, and to grow after suffering so terribly in the London Tube bombings.

If you only read them as stories, they're positive, powerful and inspiring. If you realise they're real stories about real people, they reaffirm your faith in humanity and the future. If you stop and think about the sheer numbers of people whose lives have been positively influenced by these people, you have to ask why aren't more people doing this? What could I do?

It's not all about big changes or changing the world. Enough of the stories are about changes on the scale of community or neighbourhood for the book not to be alienating.

The guiding philosophy behind the book title is a quote from Gandhi, "you must be the change you want to see in the world". Which is hard to argue with. The author has clearly decided to be someone who fills the invaluable role of inspiring us all by telling us about what others are already doing. I sense there is a groundswell of change building and that we are going to live in very different ways over the next decades than in the past. This book is both part of that groundswell and a driver of it.

This book is changing my world.
A truly inspirational book.

I keep on making the mistake of picking this book up late at night shortly before I settle down to sleep - one chapter of this and your mind is buzzing, your heart beating fast - "if they could do it, why not me?"

This book has encouraged me to dream, to believe in my dreams, and to act on realising my dreams.

Even if I can only do a fraction of what these amazing people have done, that will be a wonderful thing. I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this book. Together we can Be The Change.

Inspiring and encouraging
This book shows how individuals armed with hope, a good idea and a refusal to accept the status quo can and do change the world, one little revolution at a time.
The individual stories of these 28 pioneers show that each one of us can make a tangible difference. Some of these are well known, while others operate quietly, away from the limelight but in a truly powerful and inspirational manner.
If you ever feel powerless in the face of adversity and that there is no point in trying, pick up 'Be The Change' open a page at random and start reading. It will immediately lift you up!