I'm Bored

Hey there! I am bored. Nate is sitting on the couch, reading a book. I already finished mine.

I guess I can talk about the books we're reading. Nate is reading a book I recommended for him, The Autobiography of Malcom X. This book is great if you're looking to understand an African American perspective on race relations. It also teaches you a lot about Islam, which I think we all could stand to learn a bit about. And, it actually is a very interesting read. Malcom X had a turbulent childhood and adult life before turning to Islam.

I just finished the memoirs of Noor Al Hussein, the Queen of Jordan. The Queen, an American with Swedish and Arab blood, was married to the King of Jordan, Al Hussein, before he died of cancer. This was certainly an eye-opening read for me, hearing about the plight of the Palestinian people. Here in the U.S., we only hear the Israeli side of the wars going on in the Middle East, as the U.S. has always backed Israel. It was a little disturbing to hear of Israeli (often unprovoked) aggression, in the name of reclaiming the Holy Land.

The next book on my list is called Banker to the Poor. It was written by the latest Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. Here is the review from Amazon.com:

In the 1970s Professor Mohammed Yunus had a great idea on how to help the poor of Bangladesh and he made it work. He invented micro-credit, or lending very small amounts to the poorest of the poor, without asking for collateral. This, rather than simple handouts, would help the poor become self-reliant enough so that they could lift themselves out of poverty. He concentrated on women. He relied on peer support to motivate repayment of the loans by making loans to one member of a group of women who would have access to credit only if the entire group had a good credit record (when a group started, they were assumed to have good credit). Professor Yunus's organization, the Grameen Bank, is a cooperative owned mostly by its members and boasts a repayment rate over 98%.

In the 30 years since Professor Yunus's first loan of 27 dollars, Grameen has now lent out billions to millions. It has liberated women in small villages, it has brought capitalist market mechanisms to the economic bottom 2% of the world population.

This first hand account by the American-educated Bangledeshi founder of Grameen Bank might not win any literary prize and it might end with a (I think) slightly naive vision of social work, but it effectively presents a simple story about a practical man who has made millions of the world's poorest people significantly better off.

Sounds like something right up my alley! I guess maybe I'll go do some more reading, or maybe some cooking... ARGH! I think that after all of the excitement of Christmas it is hard for me to adjust back to normal life. I think I can, I think I can... :)