An Accident of Geography by Richard
C. Blum with Thomas C. Hayes is about “compassion, innovation and the fight
against poverty” according to its subtitle. Jimmy Carter wrote the Foreword and
the beginning of this book relates Blum’s mountain climbing experiences in
Nepal and talks about how he and Sir Edmund Hillary developed programs to help
the local people in those areas. A private equity investor and philanthropist, Blum
believes that “wherever we can help people improve their access to basic health
care, food, clean water, and education, we will advance the cause of world
peace.”
After describing his passion, Blum moves to subsequent
sections that discuss “what smart investing teaches us,” “policy and practice
to bridge divides,” and “enabling others to solve problems of poverty.” Notes and a bibliography with suggested resources round
out the book. An Accident of Geography is definitely an engaging read and one
to which our privileged students should be exposed. If I have any concerns, it
is that they may have trouble relating to something so far away and foreign to
their experience. However, our students already read Behind the Beautiful Forevers for a summer reading assignment so I will be
featuring An Accident of Geography in future booktalks which include Promise of a Pencil, Giving
2.0, A Path Appears (or others by
Nicholas Kristof), Mountains Beyond
Mountains, and Little Princes, plus
titles like Hillbilly Elegy, The South Side $2.00 a Day, and Evicted
which focus on domestic poverty.
