Be the Change!
Change the World. Change Yourself
by Hundreds of Heads & Michelle Nunn


(Click for Amazon book review)

OnTheIssues.org BOOK REVIEW:

This book "portrays...the gratification, fun, and humor to be found on the journey of service" (Introduction, p. x). The author, Michelle Nunn, is running for Senate on Georgia, where her father served as Senator for 24 years. We hope this book inspires some people, but for us, it only inspired distastefulness.

I'm not sure what is the most distasteful in this book -- perhaps because it feels like Nunn is proposing an expansion of national service, like AmeriCorps for all, which I would call a "civilian draft." While that's better than a military draft, it's still a draft. To be sure, Nunn does not propose making any service mandatory -- it's all described as "voluntary." But those who propose that everyone volunteer, as a duty of citizenship, are just one step away from proposing a law that everyone volunteer.

I don't have anything against volunteering -- OnTheIssues.org is run by volunteers, and I have volunteered for the types of organizations described in Nunn's book. We hope our OnTheIssues volunteers get some benefit from volunteering, as do the many testimonials in this book. But there are just so many testimonials -- happy volunteer after happy volunteer -- that it feels... forced? Overdone? Too much? I don't know the right term, so I'll make one up: I felt "smugged upon." All of the wide-eyed do-gooders line up in this book, and it all feels very smug, and the reader gets smugged upon.

Bill Clinton wrote a book similar to this book, called Giving. Clinton's book also includes descriptions of dozens upon dozens of worthwhile organizations. But at the end of Clinton's book, one feels inspired. At the end of Nunn's book, one feels relieved that one can stop reading. Michelle Nunn is undoubtedly a good person, and would make a good Senator if she wins. But I don't want to read any more of it!

-- Jesse Gordon, OnTheIssues editor-in-chief, December 2013

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Civil Rights     John Lewis: Got in the way of 1950s discrimination.

Foreign Policy     Sandra Day O`Connor: Lived in Germany for 3 years; discussed staying in Europe.

Government Reform     John Lewis: 1977: Oversaw 250,000 volunteers at ACTION agency.     Michelle Nunn: The biggest obstacle of all is apathy.     Michelle Nunn: Change only becomes enduring when we ask & enlist others.     Michelle Nunn: Drop in civic participation enfeebles our democracy.

Health Care     Bill Frist: Frequent medical mission trips to Africa.

Homeland Security     Sam Nunn: 1970s: Trained terrorists could gain control of our nukes.     Sam Nunn: Nunn-Lugar: funded Russia to destroy 6,670 nuclear warheads.

Principles & Values     Bill Frist: Doctoring improves a life; public service improves many.     Elizabeth Dole: Character provides sense of direction & means to fulfillment.     Jimmy Carter: My faith goes beyond religion and requires work.     Michelle Nunn: Leaders of all great faith traditions lived lives of service.     Michelle Nunn: Those whom we revere give of themselves.     Michelle Nunn: Don't let petty frustrations get in the way of commitment.     Michelle Nunn: Built "Hands On Atlanta" over 17 years to 100,000 volunteers.     Michelle Nunn: Everyone has the power to make a difference in the world.     Sandra Day O`Connor: Served in Arizona as State Senator and trial judge.

War & Peace     Sam Nunn: 2001: Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for reducing WMDs.

Welfare & Poverty     Elizabeth Dole: Red Cross volunteers taught me about hope amid suffering.     Michelle Nunn: Hands On Network: help people begin their service journey.     Michelle Nunn: When you serve others, you get more than you give.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Bill Frist Republican Elizabeth Dole North Carolina Former Cabinet Member (Labor Sec'y) and Senator Jimmy Carter John Lewis Democrat U.S. Rep Georgia-5 Michelle Nunn Democratic Challenger Georgia Sam Nunn Democratic Senator (Former) Georgia Sandra Day O`Connor Republican Appointee to Supreme Court (retired 2005)