Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker

This memoir by a veteran oversees American reporter details the process of adopting his daughter, an orphan, in Zimbabwe. Because of its epic weave — of African cultures and politics; AIDS and its destruction; and the interracial marriage of the author from a white racist Mississippi background and his wife from black Detroit — this story about the adoption of a tiny, critically ill Zimbabwean orphan appeals to the head as much as the heart.

Waiting for the Rain by Charles Mungoshi

Rural life in Zimbabwe is the topic of this early novel by award-winning writer Mungoshi.

The End of Poverty by Jeffrey D. Sachs

Sachs explains why, over the last 200 years, wealth has diverged across the planet and why the poorest nations have so far been unable to improve their lot.

Where We Have Hope by Andrew Meldrum

Journalist Andrew Meldrum’s gripping first-person account of life in Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2003 is written with a sharp political edge and chilling authenticity.  

Ending Global Poverty by Stephen C. Smith

This inspiring book is written from an economist’s point of view and looks at poverty from the largest perspective. Smith examines innovative and effective strategies enabling the world’s poorest people, even those living in stagnant economies, to escape from extreme poverty. The book reviews sixteen poverty traps affecting the poor, and describes the key capabilities and assets that the poor need to escape from such poverty traps. You will feel that you can make a difference.

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood

This memoir chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.