Recommended Reading: Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus

Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

This week, I read Muhammad Yunus' book about how he came to start the Grameen Bank in response to the horrendous poverty he witnessed in Bangladesh. It's a first-hand account, really easy to read, and rather entertaining. My favorite anecdote was when he--due to Islamic purdah tradition--had to speak to women borrowers through a wall instead of face-to-face. All of a sudden, the wall collapsed, resulting in him directly facing the women--a big cultural no-no since he wasn't related to them. Although the women were shocked and embarassed, they continued to ask him questions of about how village banking worked. Microcredit was that amazing of a possibility to them. It's a short read and you'll learn a lot about how other people in the world live, which is often close to slavery. For many, if they miss a day of work, they risk starvation. If you have a few hours and are inclined to learn about global issues & microfinance, I highly suggest this book.