The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back (Hardcover)

~ Kevin Salwen (Author), Hannah Salwen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
It all started when 14-year old Hannah Salwen, idealistic but troubled by a growing sense of injustice in the world, had a eureka moment when a homeless man in her neighborhood was juxtaposed against a glistening Mercedes coupe. "You know, Dad," she said, pointing, "If that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal."

This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. "What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. "We are TOTALLY doing this." Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens' journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more.

Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, The Power of Half is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.

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Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from Author Kevin Salwen

Dear Amazon Readers,

What does "living well" mean? By traditional standards, our family was there--nice cars, expensive vacations, dream house, fancy stuff in it. It took a fourteen-year-old to make us take a second look.

That teenager, as you probably know from glancing at the book description above, is Hannah (now seventeen). As she and I waited at a stoplight just a few blocks from our home, Hannah's head swiveled between a homeless man and a pricey new car. As she wrote in her journal later: "Driving past the homeless man that one time changed my life. I felt sad, like I wanted to help him, but angry, really angry. At myself mainly. Thinking there was so much I could do for this man and for a lot of the poor people in this world considering I had so much."

Now, Hannah is not one to keep emotions to herself. She brought that anger back to our family's dinner table, challenging us to "be a family that makes a difference in the world, even if it's a small difference."

My wife, Joan, and I defended ourselves: We volunteer for Habitat and work at the food bank.

Hannah stared, unimpressed.

Joan and I described the checks we wrote to charities each December.

Hannah rolled her eyes.

Finally, Joan decided to challenge back: "What do you want to do, sell our house? Move into one half the size? Give up your room?"

That opening series of questions launched our family on an audacious project that we chronicle in The Power of Half. How we decided to sell our house. How we chose to invest the proceeds. Our travels to the places where we decided to work. Along the way, we tried to figure out how much was the right amount to give to charity, both in time and money (the average American gives 2.1 percent of income). We learned about extreme giving (50 percent, anyone?) by average people and about new programs popping up to teach kids about sharing and spending.

But if that were the whole story, I doubt we would have written this book. Joan and I began to realize that our "Half" project was transforming our family--heightening our trust in one another, empowering our kids, building a deeper connection. Because we, as the parents, shared influence and listened in a new way to our kids, our project to make the world a little better was making the chemistry between us a lot better. In other words, we had traded some stuff for togetherness--and I bet a lot of folks would take that deal.

So Hannah and I are hoping that our book can inspire you to create your own "Half" project. We don't expect you to sell your house, of course (that's nuts!), just to look at your life to determine what you have more than enough of. It could be time; it could be belongings. Depending on what issue you care about, you can brainstorm creatively what you can live with half of. (One example: If fighting drug addiction is your passion, you could give up half of the cups of caffeine-laced coffee and cola you drink.) By following the road map in the book, you can build your own project, and in turn create deeper bonds among your family, community, any group you choose. Oh, and of course make the world a little better at the same time.

That's our definition of living well now.

Kevin Salwen

(Photo © Allison Shirrefs)

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A Q&A with Kevin and Hannah Salwen, Authors of The Power of Half

Q: What made you decide to write a book about your family's experiences? And what is meant by "the power of half"?

Hannah Salwen: After we decided to sell our home and give half the profits to a charity, we began getting questions from friends and others about how they could do something like our family did. They didn't want to sell their houses (no one is that crazy!), but they saw how our family was taking action and had become connected. So we realized that we could help people understand that this is an amazing way to improve relationships within families while making the world a little bit better.

Kevin Salwen: As to "why half"--well, the concept of "half" provides a measurable way to keep track. When we think about charity, so many of us say, "I ought to do more." But "more" is so mushy that we don't end up doing anything significant. The size of the project doesn't matter; it can be as simple as watching half the number of hours of TV each week and using the freed-up time to make a difference in others' lives (and of course your own).

Q: In these trying economic times, how can we expect people to even think about giving more?

KS: These are difficult times indeed. But The Power of Half is a book of hope and optimism. The American Dream has always been about parents wanting their children to have a better life than they did, but it usually has been measured by social standing and assets. Joan and I wanted a better life for our children too, but our American Dream focused more on their inner selves than on their assets.

The Power of Half tells the story of a family that decided it can make a difference in making the world better--even, to use Hannah's words, if it's a small difference. We love the quote by Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop: "If you think you're too small to make a difference, you've never been in bed with a mosquito." The "secret sauce" for our project is that we did it together and over a sustained period of time, unlike many volunteer or giving actions, in which individuals head in different directions or work together sporadically. That unity brought our family a heightened awareness of one another's perspectives and energized us not only to want to do more work in the world but also to understand one another better.

At this time when people need to cut back on their spending, the time invested in family becomes even more critical. The Power of Half shows how working together builds a stronger family. True happiness comes from community, and family is the most core community we have.

HS: One other thing. Doing a power-of-half project doesn't require a ton of money. We decided to sell our house because it was a sacrifice we felt we could live with. But the power of half works just as well with lower-cost or no-cost "halves." We always explain to people that they can choose the clothes in their closet, the time spent playing video games, or the price of meals eaten out. Readers can choose their own "half"--it's all about the process.

Q: Why did you choose to support Africa instead of a project closer to home?

HS: We spent a year as a family deciding exactly how and where to use our money. It was a process, by the way, in which we kids had exactly the same say as the adults--after all, we were giving up our house too. It was interesting because my brother, Joseph, wasn't exactly excited about this idea from the beginning. He became our family skeptic, and we knew that once we proved something to Joe, we really had it right.

KS: While we had been--and remain--quite active in Atlanta (we volunteer often at the food bank and Central Night Shelter, and I have been on the Atlanta Habitat board for six years), after a series of family votes we decided to do this project in Africa because
• we view the world as a single community, a place where the luck of where you're born shouldn't be the biggest determining factor in whether you receive help
• there is no safety net in rural Africa--no Head Start, no food stamps--to fill critical gaps
• we wanted our project to completely solve a problem with a group of people, and since our money goes further in Africa, we learned that we could help entire villages build their futures
• we wanted something exotic, something that would take us out of our comfort zone. It was so helpful for our kids (and for us as parents too) to be "the other" for a little while, to recognize what it feels like to be someone born without the privileges we enjoy.

Q: Any other reasons The Power of Half is particularly relevant now?

KS: These times are extraordinary for so many reasons, particularly the competing moods of fear, change, hope, stress. Parents are feeling those emotions even more strongly (and it's even more acute with divorced or single parents). With our senses heightened, so many of us are rethinking our lives. The Power of Half offers readers inspiration and new tools to bring their lives a healthier focus, all wrapped up in an entertaining family tale.

(Photo © Allison Shirrefs)

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Photographs from the Authors of The Power of Half
(Click on images to enlarge)

The Salwen family in front of their old house	Moving day at the Salwen house	Hannah Salwen cuts the ribbon for the Hunger Project	Where "the power of half" brought the Salwen family

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From Publishers Weekly

In this well-meaning but self-congratulatory memoir, the Salwen family decides to sell their gorgeous Atlanta mansion, move to a home half the size, and commit half the proceeds to the needy. Putting their plan into action, a raft of family decisions and meetings are led by mom Joan, a former corporate consulting executive and teacher, with the help of an actual whiteboard. Entrepreneur and activist Kevin, a former Wall Street Journal editor, writes with daughter Hannah, who, as instigator of the family project, provides commentary and practical suggestions. The chronicle is intriguing and the cohesiveness of the four family members is remarkable: "Friends and others... always focused on... the big house, the big donation, or the trip to Africa" with their eventual partner, The Hunger Project, rather than "the transformational energy" of "a family eager to stand for something collectively." The authors tend to gush over their efforts while discounting the privileged position that allows them to make them ("we think everyone can give one of the three T's: time, talent or treasure"); their unflagging optimism, buttressed by clear self-regard, can also be tiring.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547248067
• ISBN-13: 978-0547248066
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #3 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Philanthropy & Charity
  #17 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Marriage & Family

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How much is enough and for what?, December 24, 2009

By	deeper waters (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

(What's this?)

We live in a society that is increasingly fueled by consumption, bombarded by subtle and not so subtle messages that our value is measured by the amount and quality of our acquisitions. Like many of us, the Salwens were running fast on the treadmill to the American success story. Although they had a better than passing awareness of poverty, donating time and money to improve the lives of others, there was the nagging sense that more could be done. Unlike many of us, they were willing to ask difficult questions about the inequities in the world and more importantly, to make the personal changes that would create greater security and opportunity for others. This family is articulate, cohesive, educated, financially and socially privileged and it would be easy to write their story off as impossible for average folks. The truth is, there are few people with nothing to give. It is always easy to see what the next guy could/should/might do but not as comfortable when it comes to letting go of the things that WE deem to be non-negotiable. Without judgment, this book offers honest insight into the psychology if consumption and the way that it diminishes our ability to see beyond our own sense of entitlement. It serves too as a reminder that while generosity cannot be demanded, it is easily invited. Each chapter includes input from the Salwen children with practical suggestions for ways that any interested family or individual can become involved. "Changing lives" is a very possible process that benefits everyone who is willing to commit to doing their part. This is a book that should be read and discussed by families, faith communities, educators, activists and non-activists alike.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Re: Criticism on WHERE this family chose to donate, January 26, 2010

By	S. Peter - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is pretty frustrating to read some of the reviews on here, and the criticism directed towards this book and family elsewhere on the web.

Many Americans, including myself, love America because of the freedom with which we can live our lives here. We are not taxed to nearly the levels of most European countries and have higher home-ownership and a greater degree of meritocratic upward mobility. Everyone is free to buy what they can afford (sometimes more, but that's a different story), love who they want to love, work where they want to work, and live where they want to live.

If there were a wealthy family which you knew nothing about, and through some real estate deal they came into an extra $800,000, you wouldn't criticize them for purchasing a new yacht instead of a new jet... it's their money, so its their choice. SO WHY IS IT that so many people in favor of all the CHOICES that come with living in a democratic free-market nation like this one feel the need to criticize the choice of the Salwen family to mobilize their huge donation in Ghana, rather than in the US?

As a patriotic American, I care that people in my country are suffering from hunger, health problems they can't afford to treat, and foreclosures on their homes. As a doctor who enjoys living in the US and has no plans to move abroad, I make it a priority to do my part to help who I can, which for me sometimes involves seeking out and treaking vulnerable Americans in my community with low or no charge. HOWEVER, as a rational being, I know that any donations I make to charity (which so far, have been a pittance compared to what this family has done), will go much further if executed correctly in many other parts of the world. $800,000 used productively (ie - not just "giving out food and money" but instead creating self-sustaining programs which help folks get educated, grow food in an optimal way, and set up small businesses), can go way further in Ghana than it can in the US, where things are more expensive and the average person is way better off in absolute terms.

For the person who recommended that the Salwens donate money towards reducing the subprime burden in their own Atlanta community instead of picking out some 'random' Ghanian village, I say: (1) I would be delighted if instead of buying a yacht or a plane or keeping their mansion, they helped about 10 needy American families get back on their feet financially with $80,000 of debt forgiveness each; but (2) I am MORE delighted that they chose to make an impact that will help about 10 THOUSAND people get on their feet. People are people - no matter what patriotic way you slice it, helping a thousand Ghanians is more impactful than helping out one American. When you have little prior information about the person you're directing your philanthropy towards, why not donate where your money goes the furthest and can in fact be transformative?

Not that I have the authority to praise or criticize their decision in the first place... it's THEIR MONEY after all.



PS. The book is decently written and readable, not a masterpiece of literature... But I gave it five stars for the IDEA behind it and the hope that it will inspire many. Has definitely inspired me.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Change your home, change your life, December 27, 2009

By	E. Griffin (Wilton, CT, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

(What's this?)

The Power of Half is the story of an American family who decides to sell their 6,500 square foot home, buy another smaller house, and then donate approximately half of the sales price to charity. The tale is told primarily by the father, Kevin Salwen, with a few pages of commentary at the end of each chapter by his teenage daughter, Hannah.

With the exception of matching the stereotype of an American family of four (father, mother, son, and daughter), the Salwens are not a typical American family. The parents are highly educated and have achieved sufficient financial success early in their careers to now pursue their dream jobs as a teacher and owner of a magazine start-up. The children attend an elite private school, play sports, take lessons, and go to camp. Admittedly having bought into achieving an ever-escalating standard of living, the Salwens still included community service into their lives by participating in Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and the United Way, involving their children when possible.

One day, Hannah has an epiphany, and challenges why we cannot create equilibrium between the have and have-nots of the world. This eventually leads to a family decision to sell their large house, buy something half in size, and donate the difference to charity. Once they make this decision, the Salwen family moves quickly, buying a smaller house just a few blocks away, and they start a massive house cleaning, donating or throwing out things that will not fit in their new home. They immediately encounter some drawbacks to their plans, including concerned reactions from their friends, and that their larger house lingered on the market unsold.

In parallel to the moving activities, the Salwen family began to work on selecting a charity, beginning with defining their guiding principles, research, interviews of charities, and planning. They eventually agree to fund the building of two epicenters in Ghana. The epicenters support up to a dozen villages, each represent a $400,000, five-year commitment and aim to help the villagers become healthier and more self-reliant. For me, the most enjoyable parts of The Power of Half is the process of selecting the charities, the research done by Kevin Salwen on the reasons why the Western world has failed to "rescue" Africa, and the family's trip to Ghana.

Over time, the Salwen family begins to find great personal rewards and satisfaction from their plan. The two teen-age children become more confident, articulate, and mature. The family spends more time together, developing a deeper understanding of each other and closer bonds.

The commitment of the Salwen family is admirable, and funding their $800,000 donation through a dramatic change to their own lifestyle is something that very few people could or would actually do. Kevin Salwen's writing is professional, introspective, and respectful of his family and friends. The Power of Half is a powerful and enlightening book for anyone interested in charitable giving, reducing consumption, and developing family relationships. However (and I will probably get a lot of unhelpful votes for this!), at times the story is sanctimonious and the tone patronizing. Although I have a great deal of respect for what the Salwen family did, and think The Power of Half is well-written, the story is out of touch with the reality that exists for most American families.