Doing Good means to act virtuously, especially by helping others, or by making a helpful contribution, whether by volunteering, donating, or advocating for others or a cause. Often our wish to do good surpasses our family, friends, and community and extends beyond -- to our country, other countries, or even our planet -- but is not always perceived as helpful or good.
Doing Good
At the Everett News Cafe, you'll find a new book collection every few weeks that relates to current events, education, or learning environments.
As we become increasingly tuned to the injustices and inequities of our world, we pause to consider the charitable and philanthropic initiatives and efforts of those persons or organizations striving to make a positive impact. We explore the history and meaning of altruism; challenges faced in improving conditions; and the solutions and benefits of doing good -- and being better at doing good. We hope that this book display inspires us to apply our hearts and minds to help others more effectively, on whatever scale.
Niall Scott and Jonathan Seglow. Altruism.
"What motivates us to be altruistic? How did an altruistic trait evolve in humans, given that evolutionary theory assumes we are self-interested? What sorts of people are altruistic and in what circumstances? Is the welfare state a channel for altruism or does it crowd out people's altruistic motivations? This accessible book is the first introduction to the idea of altruism."
Ratna and Suhasini Vira. Why People Give:
Interpreting Altruism.
"This book is passionately argued, deeply researched and full of indelible stories of real people. The authors build a case for altruism and the urgent need for empathy in an increasingly self-centred and materialistic world."
Amanda Lashaw. Cultures of Doing Good.
"Thorough introductory chapters provide a short history of NGO anthropology, address how the study of NGOs contributes to anthropology more broadly, and examine ways that anthropological studies of NGOs expand research agendas spawned by other disciplines."
Elizabeth C. Hoffman. All You Need Is Love.
Traversing four decades and three continents, this story of the Peace Corps and the people and politics behind it is a fascinating look at American idealism at work amid the hard political realities of the second half of the twentieth century."
Dennis Carlson. Volunteers of America.
".. the heart of the story is the author's own evolving journey as a teacher, during which time he began to question both the official curriculum of English instruction and the broader purposes of teaching for liberation. This is also a story about the author's education and re-education in Libya ..."
Paul D. Coverdell, ed. Crossing Cultures.
"Peace Corps volunteers wrote the stories in this book to an audience of classroom students in the United States.. The letters are intended to help U.S. students get to know and understand other cultures."
Emma Kowal Trapped in the Gap.
"In Australia, a 'tribe' of white, middle-class, progressive professionals is actively working to improve the lives of Indigenous people. This book explores what happens when well-meaning people, supported by the state, attempt to help without harming."
Jon Dean. The Good Glow.
"This book analyses the reality of how charity operates in the social world; how the personal benefits of giving and volunteering are vital for getting charitable acts to happen; how the altruism associated with gifts isn't always what it seems; how charity misbehaviour or bad management gets overlooked; and how charity symbols are weaponised against those who don't participate."
David Sloan Wilson. Does Altruism Exist?
"... famed biologist David Sloan Wilson provides new answers to this age-old question based on the latest developments in evolutionary science. From an evolutionary viewpoint, Wilson argues, altruism is inextricably linked to the functional organization of groups."
William MacAskill. Doing Good Better.
"The author asks us to reflect on 5 key questions: How many people benefit, and by how much? Is this the most effective thing I can do? Is this area neglected? What would have happened otherwise? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? "
Ben Lowe. Doing Good WIthout Giving Up.
"Activist Ben Lowe renews our mission with key postures and practices for sustaining faithful social action. What makes social action distinctively Christian includes such things as living out Jesus' love, having a prophetic witness, building bridges with opponents, repudiating idolatries, and practicing repentance and sabbath."
Joe Loizzo. Sustainable Happiness.
"Today's greatest health challenges, the so-called diseases of civilization--depression, trauma, obesity, cancer--are now known in large part to reflect our inability to tame stress reflexes gone wild and to empower instead the peaceful, healing and sociable part of our nature that adapts us to civilized life."
Charles Bronfman and Jeffrey Solomon.
The Art of Doing Good.
"Features real-life stories of 18 notable social entrepreneurs and the organizations they run, including Geoffrey Canada (Harlem Children's Zone), Darell Hammond (KaBOOM!), and Michael Brown (City Year) Reveals what particular issues nonprofit leaders can expect to face throughout the lifespan of their organization and shares strategies for meeting challenges."
Nick Cooney. How to Be Great at Doing Good.
"How to be Great at Doing Good is a complacency-shattering guidebook for anyone who wants to actually change the world, whether as a donor, a volunteer, or a non-profit staffer."
Sir Ronald Cohen. IMPACT.
"The world must change, but we cannot change it by throwing money at old ideas that no longer work. We need a new path to a new world where inequality is shrinking, where natural resources are regenerated, and people can benefit from shared prosperity. This is the world being created by the Impact Revolution."
Jacob Harold. The Toolbox: Strategies for Crafting Social Impact.
"... an expert guide to doing good in the 21st century... This book offers: 36 diagrams, 22 stories, 19 poems, 9 tools, 5 equations and one goal:
A Better World."