I am sitting on a plane on the way to Oklahoma.There are a number of ways I could occupy this time. Much needed sleep. Much loved listening to great music. Much desired talking with the complete strangers next to me about their lives. I’ve tried all of those. I’ve also tried reading the book I brought. None of it is working because I have this compelling call to write to you.
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In southeast Costa Rica, just south of Puerto Viejo, there’s a farm named Punta Mona. To find it, you hike along a rugged path through an oceanside jungle. Upon arrival you hear the waves crashing up on the shore, music in the background and a communal kitchen built in the center. Young permaculture enthusiasts scatter around, occasionally seeking each other, flipping compost, building pathways, planting seeds, stripping cinnamon. Two years ago, I worked on this farm and found community of many walks of life all joining on the same path; a path toward sustainable living.

A young woman from Tampa, Florida met with financial investors about her tourism school in Kigali, Rwanda.A budding financier from Atlanta, Georgia engaged crowds of young social entrepreneurs from New Orleans, Brazil, and India.

A business woman from Zambia shared the story of her bike shop to a Japanese volunteer.

A successful engineer from Arizona spotted his invention, a water-filtration bottle sold inexpensively in the developing world, on the page of a book at our table.

This all just took place at the Better World Books SOCAP11 Bookstore.

Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) explains that “a new form of capitalism is arising that recognizes our ability to direct the power and efficiency of market systems toward social impact, leading to a more balanced set of ‘returns’.”

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On Facebook, Twitter, at Better World Books events and even on this blog I have asked you if any book has ever completely changed your life. The answers that you’ve sent in have been fascinating and fruitful.

The Blue Sweater changed mine.

“Like a volcano, Africa can stun you in an instant. It can throw floods and drought and disease at you, sometimes all at the same time. In the next moment, it will tease you with its magnificent beauty, so even if you don’t forget, you can find a way to forgive. Ultimately, it keeps you coming back for more,” I read this sentence 125 pages into the book while still in my first sitting with it.I could not put the stories down.

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What is Social Capital? And why should you care?

Because Social Capital is changing the way you shop. It empowers you to change the world for the better through the purchases you already make.

Imagine this: You are taking a class in college. Your professor says you must read a certain book and write a paper about it. The first action you take is to buy that book.

You can buy the book from a number of stores. Book businesses solve that for you.

But what if you also want your book purchase to make a difference? What if you want to buy a pre-loved book because you care for Mother Earth? What if you want to buy a book that helps someone else learn how to read?

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*Note* The below blog post is a guest blog from our Facebook friend Kathrin. This content does not necessarily reflect the views of Better World Books (as our lawyers make sure we say). We love having guest bloggers and invite you to email 11@betterworldbooks.com if you are interested in covering a book or topic on the BWB Blog. Thank you, Kathrin!

On June 17th I embarked on my summer internship adventure with ThinkImpact! The Washington D.C. based organization and its Innovation Institute sends college students to villages in rural Kenya and South Africa to build social enterprises. As an MBA student with a focus on sustainable management (Presidio Graduate School) I’m very interested in using social enterprise as a catalyst for development and social change.

When I heard that ThinkImpact was looking for advisers to support their students during the program I immediately applied. I was accepted as an advisor for the South Africa side and started my journey with training in Washington D.C. After that I met my student team in Chicago at Northwestern University. This year ThinkImpact collaborated with Northwestern and their Global Engagement Summit Institute.

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Where could a textbook be more important than in a school where students will eagerly sit in the hot desert sand for a chance to learn from teachers who have little more education than themselves?  Where could a thrilling story bring a greater sense of escape or hope than in a camp where refugees have been stuck for eight years, with no prospect of returning home?How can we get Darfuri refugees the books they need? You can help by simply buying a book for yourself.

Credit: UNHCR / H. Caux
Caption: A young mother attends class with her baby on her back in Djabal refugee camp. Many girls drop out of school or attend classes very irregularly once they get married and even more when they have babies. Early marriages and early pregnancies- as young as 11 or 12- prevent girls from having even basic education. Djabal, eastern Chad, August 10, 2007.

Support with us the amazing collaboration of best-selling and award-winning authors and poets, What You Wish For, a book about wishes for young adult and middle grade readers.  The 501(c)(3) nonprofit Book Wish Foundation organized the all-star lineup of contributors – including the authors of The Princess Diaries, Goosebumps, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The Baby-sitters Club, Inkheart, Looking for Alaska, and much more – and will donate 100% of its proceeds to UNHCR to fund libraries in Darfuri refugee camps in Chad.  Better World Books is donating its profits, too, to help maximize the impact of each copy you buy.

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