Customer Reviews

The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank

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I was very surprised to find out that a book on economic development could be such a page-turner. Bornstein details the history of the Grameen Bank, an incredibly innovative organization, part-business, part-social service organization. Its founder, Muhammad Yunus, has as his ultimate goal nothing less than the eradication of poverty all over the world. And he's demonstrating that it might not be such a farfetched goal, with his incredible success in the very poor country of Bangladesh. Bornstein's book is full of details about the business as well as touching personal stories about the people the business is serving, and how their lives are being radically changed simply because they now have access to modest loans. You'll learn about the amazing achievements of Grameen, as well as crisitisms of it (this is a rather even-handed treatment) -- but you'll still come away with much hope for the future. I recommend it highly.

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.

Bornstein offers a truly inspirational and touching story of how the Grameen Bank has helped millions of poor people in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus, Grameen's founder, is the charismatic leader who transforms seemingly far-fetched dreams into real ideas that actually worked! It felt like I was reading a fairytale but the wonderful part is that this is real. We CAN eradicate poverty! If anything, this book gives all of us hope. It is not just Professor Yunus that is the genius; it is the people. With the right opportunity and resources, people can do anything, even stop the vicious cycle of poverty.

EVERY person that is interested in Economics, Development or in Bangladesh MUST read this book-- a true testament to human achievement!

I've been reading a lot of books on microcredit/microfinance and this is very thorough; I would reccommend it for anyone interested in the industry and to those trying to duplicate Grameen's efforts in other areas. It gives you an indepth look at the Grameen Bank(it's successes, failures). It also gives you an opportunity to look at the bank from the perspective of the borrowers and the staff. All the stories aren't rosy and glamorous which makes this book a lot more balanced than what I've read in the past. The author gives you the room to create your own views on Grameen and microcredit(as a sustainable means to fight poverty). This was a great read!!

This is the best book Ive ever read. I'm an international banker of Banladeshi origin working for one of the worlds biggest bank. After reading this book I feel I want to quit my day job and work for Grameen and actually make a difference to the world by helping to eradicate world poverty.

David Bornstein has written the book beautifully.

Dr Yunus is a legend.... Respect to you sir

omar_rahim@hotmail.com

Intended for an audience unfamiliar with micro-finance, this book offers an easily readable history of the Grameen Bank and the potential for loaning to poor women. Even though I have some background in the field, I still found it an interesting story. However, the author relied heavily on Grameen staff and translators and I felt that the level of analysis and criticism that would have been useful was lacking. It is more a journalistic story than an academic analysis of this institution.

This is a great book & I recommend it to anyone interested in development in third world countries. Ought to find its way onto a few economics course booklists I hope. It does not offer a step by step guide on how to set up a system in your own country, just a generalised working. Not a big criticism, as that would be a subject for a less accessible, more technical book. For starters, this is it!

Bornstein is an exceptional journalist. He portrays another world quite apart from our own and manages to give the reader a true sense of the culture, the people and the problems facing Bangladesh.