The World We Want

Reviews / Votes

The World We Want provokes thought and provides keen insight-a must read for all of us aiming to use philanthropy to build a better world. -- Bill Bradley, Former U.S. Senator The World We Want is a wonderful book for anyone wishing to make a difference and find inspiration from fellow travelers. Peter Karoff and Jane Maddox have listened well to a wonderful collection of engaged citizens. In the process, they have also redefined what it means to be a philanthropist-be ready to discover it's in everything you do! -- Kathy Bushkin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the United Nations Foundation Peter Karoff, the poet laureate of philanthropy, brings to life a number of powerful and innovative paths for creating a better world. This book combines inspiring stories, thoughtful analysis, and provocative questions. It should guide a new generation of philanthropic entrepreneurs and engaged citizens as they seek to apply their knowledge and skills, as well as their resources, to the task of improving the conditions in which we live. -- J. Gregory Dees, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, co-author of Enterprising Nonprofits It is tempting to approach a title like The World We Want with resistance. Whose "we?" How do they know what I want? And then Peter Karoff introduces us, one by one, to his cast of storytellers, and we are irresistibly drawn into his concept-a poet's journey of possibilities and celebration, frustrations and reassurance. After all, we all have our dreams of a better world, and our own versions get activated and integrated into these inspiring accounts. By the end, we are captured, engaged, and Peter's book has accomplished its purpose-a design experiment of hope. -- Kelin E. Gersick, Senior Partner, Lansberg, Gersick & Associates; Management Fellow, Yale School of Management; and author of Generation to Ge Karoff's life has grown from 'peddler' to philanthropist and poet. In The World We Want he teaches us to connect dream to deed, and through his heroes we learn about the limits, passion, and power of philanthropy. -- Peter Goldmark, director of Environmental Defense; former president, Rockefeller Foundation; former CEO, International Herald Tribune 'Dare to be naive,' Buckminster Fuller once said. In The World We Want, Peter Karoff, a poet and preeminent philosopher of philanthropy, offers us visions of a better world via a guided tour of idealism in America, circa 2006. His 'naivete,' and that of the many accomplished activists he interviews, offers a compelling challenge to the cynicism and resignation that reign in much of the country today. A stirring read. -- Paul Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation Peter Karoff is a poet as well as a visionary, so it comes as no surprise that The World We Want is a lyrical and uplifting book whose conversations with great leaders and change agents can inspire us all to make a difference in the world. Savor this wonderful, positive book. -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School Professor and best-selling author of <I>Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End Karoff has succeeded in giving the reader a view of a world we do all indeed want. Each of his interviewees speaks with passion and truth about a different tile in the mosaic of a whole world of humaneness and beauty. Would that we may achieve it. Karoff's poems, beautiful and moving, work as exclamation points for the chapters. -- James E. Hughes Jr., Esquire, author of <I>Family Wealth--Keeping It in the Family<I> It's easy for those who want to make the world a better place to become mired in cynicism or overwhelemed by the depth and scope of the world's problems. Thankfully, there are the ever-optimistic Peter Karoffs of the world to inspire us to get up off our sofas and take action. -- Foundation Center