The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank [Paperback]

David Bornstein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195187490 | ISBN-13: 978-0195187496 | Publication Date: October 27, 2005

The Price of a Dream tells the remarkable story of the Grameen Bank, the groundbreaking "village bank" that has revolutionized the way people around the world fight poverty. The Bank's model--providing collateral-free "micro-loans" for self-employment to millions of women villagers in Bangladesh--has inspired and shaped the thinking of economists, policy makers, business people, development workers and a generation of social entrepreneurs. Both liberal and conservative policy circles have championed the Bank's ability to transform the lives of its clients and help them escape the vicious cycle of deep economic hardship.
Drawing upon interviews with villagers, development workers, economists, and the Bank's founder Muhammad Yunus--a recipient of numerous humanitarian awards--the book shows how the Grameen Bank grew from an experiment in one village to an organization that lends billions of dollars in small individual loans.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Described by its founder, Muhammad Yunus, as a "socially conscious capitalist enterprise," the much-lauded Grameen Bank in Bangladesh seems to be one of the Third World's brightest success stories. By viewing poor people as potential entrepreneurs, the bank has helped village people, especially women, to better their lives in small but significant ways. Bornstein, a Canadian journalist based in New York City, provides an episodic, sometimes choppy portrait of Grameen, Yunus and some of the people whose lives have been affected by the bank. Bornstein's portrait isn't all rosy, however. He hedgingly describes conflicting opinions on whether the bank, which receives significant amounts of grants and low-cost loans, could survive on its own. And, since many American organizations have been studying Grameen, he awkwardly assays the burgeoning "microcredit" movement that aims to provide loans to the poor here. The lesson of Grameen, he concludes, is not extrapolation from abroad but the importance of seeking new solutions to and institutions for complex social problems.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The Grameen Bank, located in Bangladesh, is an experimental financial institution born out of the vision of one man over two decades ago. Mohammad Yunus, the founder, felt that if a bank could be designed to serve the poorest people-often landless villagers-they could be trusted to manage their own money and solve their own problems. More important, Yunus felt they could become self-sufficient and break the cycle of poverty. Bornstein, a Canadian journalist, interviewed many bank employees (including Yunus) and Bangladesh villagers whose lives were changed as a result of their involvement with Grameen. "This is about people managing themselves, solving their own problems, creating their own jobs," one bank official comments. Bornstein's tale is memorable and often inspirational, and he tells it exceedingly well. Highly recommended for public libraries.
Richard S. Drezen, Washington Post News Research Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195187490
• ISBN-13: 978-0195187496
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Bornstein specializes in writing about social innovation. He is the author of The Price of a Dream and How to Change the World, which has been published in 20 languages. His articles have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, and many other publications globally. He co-wrote the PBS documentary "To Our Credit." He is the founder of Dowser.org, a Web site devoted to uncovering stories of change. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fighting Poverty in the Trenches, One Borrower at a Time, August 17, 2001

By 

"hummingbirdgreen" (Malabar, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Price of a Dream (Hardcover)

More than just a casual pass through Bangladesh to investigate Grameen Bank, the micro-credit phenomenon started a quarter century ago by Muhammad Yunus, The Price of a Dream fills in gaps left by other writings. It puts a human face on the poor of this impoverished Asian country, formerly known as East Pakistan. It brings poverty-stricken Bangladeshis into your livingroom as factual, not fictional, folks.

"Aren't all Bangladeshis poor?" you ask. No. There is wealth. But there are also tens of millions of families so impoverished that one cannot begin to understand the depth and breadth of their deprivation without actually visiting this tropical nation or coming to know some of these people through a book such as this.

Bornstein writes in a painterly way. His stories, both sad and glad, weave a mesmerizing pattern of the richness of Bangladeshi life amid trying circumstances. How people cope, how they react to successes and disasters, how they work to pull themselves up economically and socially: every thread is pulled through the loom in due course to render a true and clear representation of lives on the ragged edge. Thanks to loans from Grameen, millions of families have been able to hem that edge, one stitch at a time, to finish off their piece of cloth.

For his part, Yunus, speaking as the economics professor he once was, declares, "Credit is a powerful weapon, and anyone possessing this weapon is certainly better equipped to maneuver the forces around him to his advantage." (p. 228)

Micro-credit empowers the unempowered. No one describes that process better than David Bornstein. The Price of a Dream will open your eyes to the possibility of minimizing the indignity of poverty in our lifetime, if not eliminate it altogether. Every beautiful tapestry starts with a single thread. Even if that first thread is mere hope, it's a worthy place to begin.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Capitalism for the Landless Poor, January 11, 2001

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[e-mail] (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Price of a Dream (Paperback)

I am a junior in highschool. I chose this book from an AP Economics reading list I received this year. When I started reading this book, I expecting a monotonous mass of numbers, terms, and theories. However, I was soon captivated by the story. Bornstein beautifully integrated the story of the Grameen Bank, the lives of its members, and the economic principles behind it.

1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent seller, August 23, 2007

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D. Back - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank (Paperback)

Book received was just as described, received very quickly. Excellent. Would use this seller again.