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The Power of Half

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I was VERY excited about this book when I read about it (in a magazine? on a plane?). The idea that this family decided to sell their house and live with less in order to make a difference in others' lives intrigued me..... I also should have known it was too good to be true.

What I liked about the book: I like that the daughter (who is currently a jr. in high school) writes a little something within each chapter. They tend to be more action points (how to figure out what to do/encourage each other, etc). I like that the book shows how they grew together as a family unit (at the beginning the parents were driving the kids to activites: the car and the dinner table were their family time). And I like that they picked one project and are sticking with it (in this case a 5 year commitment) as opposed to giving a lump some to an organization they like and walking away. I like that they were already involved in some organizations in ATL beyond just cutting them a check.

What I didn't like: The title (and marketing campaign) are deceiving. This family sold their house (well, 2 years after putting it on the market) and they gave 1/2 of that money away. They moved to a smaller house, that was around the corner from their current house. They had to give up some possessions (due to the lack of space), but they didn't give up their lifestyle (eating out, sports, cleaning people, private schools, etc). I did note that the book mentioned that at the end their daughter was driving an 8 year old car....but I don't know if that was choice or because of their family's financial situation (during the process the dad "loses" his job and the mom switches careers resulting in a 50% pay cut).

Overall, I think that their idea was good (that we don't need these huge houses that state our status). But I didn't see them living with less.... and not all of us have a 1.9 million dollar home that we should downsize from. But I guess the real issue is that I always feel you could do more.... and I should realize that moving from this huge & prestigious house might have been all they could do - to start. They did deal with a lot of criticism from friends (and currently the general public). And I applaud them for seeing problems and struggling through how their family can make a difference.

So I will continue to wrestle with what I can do personally - and if I move to Atlanta, I have a list of charities all ready in hand!

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