The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back by Kevin Salwen and Hannah SalwenBack-of-the-book blurb: 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.
She is Too Fond of Books’ review: I knew from the moment I first read the synopsis for The Power of Half that it would be an emotional read. Who could not be moved by this family’s generosity, inspired by their teenage daughter’s desire put into action her need to make a difference in this world?! I expected perhaps tears of joy for a happy story which was inspired by Hannah’s empathy; perhaps tears of sadness for the situations of those the Salwens were trying to help.
My admiration for the Salwen family goes beyond the obvious, huge donation they’ve made to The Hunger Project; it’s an admiration (maybe a little envy?) for the amazing family dynamic that gave Hannah the confidence to first say “we should do something.” That confidence, leadership, and sense of justice was clearly instilled in Hannah, and her brother, Joseph, as part of the value system modelled by their parents, Kevin and Joan Salwen.
Kevin and Joan were wise to see that Hannah and Joseph would be vested in the family project only if they were full partners in the decision-making process, not lackeys carrying out their parents wishes to make a philanthropic mark in the world. This was a democratic process from the begining – equal weight given to parents’ and children’s input at family meetings, respectful sharing of ideas, a structure that was created on-the-fly, yet made each family member know that he or she fully owned the project and its results.
The Power of Half is written in parts by Kevin (Dad) Salwen, and Hannah (daughter, now a high school junior) Salwen. Kevin writes the memoir in rough chronological order, giving information about how the family lived “before,” the process of their year-long research project which preceded their donation (identifying what issue/problem they wanted to address, whether they wanted to help “a lot of people a little, or fewer people a lot,” where they wanted to give the aid, and what agency might be able to help them get their money where it was most needed), and the long-term effects and benefits, both to the recipients and to the Salwen family. Reading about the family’s incredible journey, and the ups and downs along the way, is certainly inspiring.
Kevin tells not only the step-by-step research and action plan, but shares the impact the entire project had on the family. Again, my greatest admiration to the Salwen family for the balance they’ve created; each member of the family played a vital role. Early on, Kevin says:
… two months after [we] had launched our project, we were already falling into the roles that would define our family. Hannah was, of coures, the spiritual muse and catalyst. Joan was the process manager, making sure we always had a logical next step. I was the financial coordinator. And Joseph was the skeptic. These were the roles we fell into naturally.
Each of Kevin’s chapters is followed by “Hannah’s Take,” a two- to three-page essay that relates to what we’ve just read from Kevin, with Hannah’s personal spin and an activity for the reader. In an essay entitled “Helping Small Kids Start Volunteering,” Hannah shares how at about age seven she was allowed to shop and prepare meals for those in her community who were working on Habit for Humanity projects. She was too young to build, but feeding the workers was an important job, too. Hannah suggests that children take on volunteer responsibilities where there are “quick, clear results,” such as seeing the joy on a hungry laborer’s face when a hot meal is delivered to the workplace.
As expected, I did shed a few tears when reading the Salwens’ story – joy for what they accomplished (really, bawling like I would at a Hallmark commercial when I was pregnant) and sorrow for the pain and suffering in the world. What I didn’t expect was my anger; no, not anger at the homelessness, hunger, and lack of healthcare (to name 3 Hs) that run rampant, I wasn’t surprised to feel that anger roiled up in me. What knocked me over was the way I identified with how the Salwens lived before they embarked on their life-changing project.
Kevin talks about the ‘treadmill’ – always trading up, better cars, bigger homes, fancy camps, big vacations. He mentioned the way the kids would divide their allowances into thirds – 1/3 for charity, 1/3 for long-term savings (college), and 1/3 to spend how they wished (this is exactly the method we followed during our allowance experiment); Kevin and Joan had an agreement, if they got a letter or phone call from a friend asking for support of a favorite charity (the walkathons, distance biking, and road races run as fundraisers), they’d automatically cut a check for $50, no questions asked (exactly our method of support). So why did I get angry? I like my big house; I like our vacations; I’m glad we can give our children the tangible things and intangible experiences that we can. As I read of Kevin’s desire to step off the treadmill I thought, “well, I’m not selling my house. That’s just not for me! We already give to [x, y, and z], and I don’t have $800,000 to spare!”
And you know what? The Salwens don’t expect other people to sell their homes and donate half the profit. Their story is about the power of half; rather than say “I should do something” or “we should give more,” they’re suggesting that you quantify that “more” with “half.” For example, one could take half the money he spends on coffee in a year, and donate it to an addiction center; or halve the time spent playing computer games and use that time to teach basic software skills at a senior center; or count the number of books you buy in a year and spend half that number of hours reading to home-bound people.
The Salwens’ story is inspiring, not just in a “feel-good” way, but in a “do-better” way. We’ve talked about the Power of Half (the book) and the power of half (the theory) in our family. Check in tomorrow for more about that, an author event I attended with our 12-year-old son, and a guest post from Hannah Salwen. In the meantime, you can read more about the Salwen family and The Power of Half at their website.
FTC disclosure: review copy provided by FSB Media.
Wow, that is an AMAZING story. A little extreme. Not everyone can do something like that, but there is a good message in there, and perfect for Lent. We have always taught our kids to give to those less fortunate, to volunteer their time. And is aggressively reinforced by our school. I can’t wait to hear what Hannah had to say!
This does sound like an emotional and powerful book! It sounds like something our family should read and discuss.
Dawn – I appreciate your honesty about your own situation in your review. I most definitely will be adding this book to my TBR list based on what you had to say. Thanks!!
I don’t think I could do it, but I love that they did. And I think you are right: even if you can’t do it all, maybe you could use some of the dieas.
The Salwen’s are amazing! read the book last year. I did the half thing — cut my spending on eating out and instead give the money to church to help the local homeless shelter. not much but every little thing helps. Power of Half is a perfect choice for reading groups — plenty of discussion points. can’t wait to read Hannah’s post.
Sounds like the kind of book that restores your faith in humanity.
This sounds like my kind of book — I love reading stories of people, especially families, who have really done something different with their lives in an effort to make a difference. Great review, too!
Sandy – there’s a great message in the book, and clearly one that struck a chord (nerve?) with me! Once I stopped being defensive about our family’s choices, it opened me up to dicussions about a potential “half” project we can do.
Julie – it’s really incredible. Not simply what the family did, but how they did it – the absolute empowerment of their children is priecless.
Stephanie – when I re-read the post after it was published, I was concerned that I might sound bratty/spoiled/privileged. The bottom line is – I’m a thrify New Englander; I drive an 8 year old minivan and clean my own house (unusual in my neighborhood), but I appreciate quality in the things I buy, so we make our choices accordingly.
rhapsody – I’ll be posting tomorrow about some of the conversations/ideas the kids have had.
Barbara – Hannah’s guest post is an excerpt from early in the book. She addresses exactly what you mention – every little bit adds up, and one person CAN make a difference.
Michelle – Hannah is looking into nursing school; she’s a compassionate soul.
I think this is an interesting concept. I could see how I would get defensive, too, because my husband and I are working really hard to pay off our credit card debt, and until that’s done, I won’t be giving half of anything. However, I think teaching children about giving via volunteering is extremely important. Children see needs and want to help, and if we can facilitate that, then they’ll grow up to be better people because of it.
It’s an interesing idea and one that the Salwen’s could clearly afford to do in full measure; even moving into a house half the size of the one they were in still left them in a house bigger than most people live in. But I like the idea of taking a specific thing in your life and cutting that in half. The computer game playing, for example; I know my boys could do that and still be spending way more time on those games than they need to. I could, gasp, cut back on the amount of time I spend reading or on the computer and use that time more effectively. We would do well to listen to the ideas of our children; they are often more empathetic.
I am intrigued by this book and I so admire your willingness to be challenged and see how you and your family could be influenced. I personally would trade my house down in a heartbeat but I already am upside down (victim of buying at top of mkt, now what?!) But I know I could do so much more and am easily distracted from asking the question “What can I do?” to “hey, what’s on TV tonight?” It sounds like this book doesn’t preach but gives good examples – I like the gentler nudge approach. Awareness is first step, right? Awesome.
Dawn,
Thanks for your wonderful review of our book — and more importantly how you chose to internalize the messages through your own life. You’re precisely right, we don’t expect anyone to sell the house (who is nuts enough to do that??)! But as Barbara mentions above, we all have more than enough of SOMETHING that we could do with less of — even if it’s just our precious time.
One element I’d love to highlight is that if families or groups do a half project together, it has the double-bonus of building bonds and connectedness among the participants. Joseph, our skeptic, will tell you that he trusts Joan and me more. Hannah will tell you she feels heard in our family. In fact, the main reason Hannah and I decided to write The Power of Half was because we felt we could share the joy of deeper relationships by providing a roadmap for others through their own half project.
Thanks for reading and reviewing our work.
Kevin
This is such an important topic to discuss with our children. Getting children involved in service builds compassion, empathy and understanding. Check out the wonderful organization, Doing Good Together (www.doinggoodtogether.org), for ideas on how you can get started volunteering as a family.
This is a tough read in a down economy since so many families feel like they are already doing more with less. That being said it also seems the perfect time to focus on this idea of giving more. When you are already looking at ways to tighten your budget why not also look for ways you can give more. This books seems like it would be a really inspirational read. Thanks for the great review.
Cori – I’ve never heard of anything like this. Yes, there are well-to-do people who give money to various causes, but the story of the Salwen family’s project … the research, decision-making, and changes it brought to all parties … is unique.
Trish – and J and I feel great responsibility, since we have four rugrats who will hope will be a positive influence on the next generation
Lisa – my post tomorrow talks about some of the ideas our family has brainstormed (not yet put into motion, and not HUGE, but … it all adds up!)
Care – awareness is the first step. Hannah’s suggestion of immediate tangible results is what we want our kids to experience (however small the results are; it shows them they *they* can make a difference)
Kevin – thank you so much for your comments; your family’s story has stayed with me (and my family). At one point in the book you’re talking about Joseph’s video project and his statement that your family has redefined its “American dream.” Clearly you ‘half project’ has a permanent impact on the givers as well as the receivers; truly life-changing.
Rachel – thanks so much for the link to Doing Good Together; I hope other readers of my blog visit the site and learn from it as well.
This is the second review of this book that I have read this morning and it has truly caught my attention! While I don’t feel that I have the financial resources to give away half – I am quite sure that there is evidence of the “treadmill” in my life. I will definitely check this book out – and be prepared for some personal conviction.
This is exactly the kind of book that I would love to read and implement in some way … and exactly the kind of book that gives my husband nightmares!! Wonderful review … and what an amazing story.
Sounds like an interesting book. I think even those of us without a lot of money or a lot of stuff could learn something. I can’t always make monetary donations, but I look for other things I can do to help.
Molly – often I read an idea and agree with the premise, but don’t act on it right away. We have some ideas bubbling up in our family – nothing dramatic, but the awareness is there …
Jenners – LOL at the different takes, between you and your husband. I’m sure you and The Little One would have fun with the concept.
Anna – I think that’s my big take-away from the book. For my kids, *doing* and giving time is more significant/meaningful than a monetary donation.
Wow!!! You definitely have to admire them.
[...] of great blog posts, I was intrigued by Dawn’s recent review of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back by Kevin and [...]
[...] She is Too Fond of Books: “What I didn’t expect was my anger; no, not anger at the homelessness, hunger, and lack of healthcare (to name 3 Hs) that run rampant, I wasn’t surprised to feel that anger roiled up in me. What knocked me over was the way I identified with how the Salwens lived before they embarked on their life-changing project.” [...]
This is an amazing story, but since im 14, it was really boring…….I had to read it for summer reading and i strongly disliked it…not the most intriguing book….but it does set a great example, and not many people would be willing to give that much but it’s great that they did!