A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World: A True Life Adventure Story - Couverture rigide

Losada, Isabel

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 006078010X ISBN 13 : 9780060780104

Editeur : HarperOne, 2005

Synopsis

A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World Tired of half-hearted attempts to effect change in the world, Isabel Losada decides to walk the talk and embarks on a journey that takes her from protests in the streets of London to India and back again. Sometimes you just have to do something, don't you? Sometimes an injustice comes along and you think, "No, this cannot be," and -- rather than just turn off the TV, or throw away the newspaper one more time -- you know it's time to act. If you or I decide to take an action for a cause beyond ourselves, one in which we have no historical reason to become involved, will we be greeted with cynicism and become a laughingstock? Perhaps. But I enjoy making peop...

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Tired of half-hearted attempts to effect change in the world, Isabel Losada decides to walk the talk and embarks on a journey that takes her from protests in the streets of London to India and back again.

Sometimes you just have to do something, don't you? Sometimes an injustice comes along and you think, "No, this cannot be," and -- rather than just turn off the TV, or throw away the newspaper one more time -- you know it's time to act.

If you or I decide to take an action for a cause beyond ourselves, one in which we have no historical reason to become involved, will we be greeted with cynicism and become a laughingstock? Perhaps. But I enjoy making people laugh. So that's the first problem solved.

It doesn't matter what the injustice is that's got you hopping about. It could be the destruction of the rain forest, the war in the Middle East, or the drug addiction in your neighborhood -- it's all the same. It's making a difference I'm playing with here.

So begins Losada's fast-moving narrative, a tale of romance, history, travel, politics, Buddhism, human rights, lively interviews, and, above all, humor. From visits to Nepal and Tibet to meetings with the Chinese ambassador and Tibetan awareness-raising groups, Isabel single-handedly hatches a stunning PR coup involving Trafalgar Square, a sixty-foot banner, and a base-jumping parachutist launching from Nelson's Column who captures headlines worldwide ... then she meets the Dalai Lama. Warm and funny, moving and thought provoking, this astonishing book celebrates the fact that no matter what our passions are, we can make a difference.

Isabel's List of Ten Indispensable Things You Need to Change the World:

1. A cupboard. To put your TV in.
2. A crazy, wonderful, foolish plan.
3. Selective deafness. (The complete inability to hear the word no.)
4. A coffee addiction (impossible otherwise).
5. Unconditional love for others -- 24/7.
6. Deranged friends.
7. An irrational desire to do mad things -- called fundraising (jump out of planes, etc.).
8. A Web site that you made yourself and can maintain yourself. No, really!
9. An unbalanced sense of humor.
10. Persistence. Joy. Persistence. Joy. Persistence. Joy. Persistence.

Revue de presse

“[H]eart-warming and extraordinary....[Losda} writes perceptively and with humor...and succeeds in getting across the underlying message.” (--Wanderlust magazine)

“Bright and endearing, Losada’s conspiratorial whispers show humor and Lama-esque levels of warmth.” (--South Wales Argus)

“[S]mart, funny, compassionate...the perfect remedy for people who feel they are too insignificant to make a difference.” (--Dinty W. Moore, author of The Accidental Buddhist)

“Losada’s courageous and humorous journey... is an inspirational and illuminating study in the power of one person’s faith and determination.” (Booklist)

“Losada is a good-humored, hard-working activist for Tibet. Her heart is in the right place....” (Publishers Weekly)

“...vivid, funny, heartwarming, delightful....It is a great read, a live teaching!” (--Robert Thurman, author of Inner Revolutions: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Real Happiness)

“[Losada employs] an excellent sense of humor and complete candor....the result is a truly inspirational read.” (Library Journal)

“A practical look at how one person’s faith and determination inspire change, maybe one that impacts the world.” (Relevant magazine)

“This book just might inspire you to change the world in your own way .” (Tricycle)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: HarperOne
• Date d'édition: 2005
• ISBN 10: 006078010X
• ISBN 13: 9780060780104
• Reliure: Relié
• Langue: anglais
• Nombre de pages: 384