Berrett-Kohler released its second book by John Hope Bryant, entitled How the Poor Can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding the Path to the Middle Class. Endorsed by former President Bill Clinton, with a foreword by legendary Civil Rights Leader Andrew Young, Bryant builds a compelling economic argument for investing in America’s least wealthy consumers.
In How the Poor Can Save Capitalism, John Hope Bryant once again turns traditional thinking on its head, starting with its audacious title, which boldly asserts that capitalism in fact needs to be saved, and that furthermore, the poor can save it, a completely counter-intuitive idea to many. The latest step in his mission to eradicate poverty in America, Bryant seeks to radically redefine the very definitions of poverty and wealth themselves. Poverty, in his estimation, is not just finances; its values too. Bryant exposes why attempts to aid the poor so far have fallen short and offers a way forward: the HOPE Plan, a series of straightforward, actionable steps to build financial literacy and expand opportunity so that the poor can join the middle class.
After two decades of leadership in the fight against poverty, the founder of Operation HOPE, picks up where he left off in his previous bestselling book Love Leadership , in which he makes the case that the best way to get ahead is to figure out what you have to give in an increasingly self-obsessed world. In How the Poor Can Save Capitalism Bryant constructs a vision for America in which he fully embraces the power of capitalism to transform lives, and details Operation HOPE’s Project 5117, an ambitious plan to change the world, by delivering a Memo on Financial Empowerment, Freedom and Self Determination. From now to 2020, this plan calls for the creation of the first national private bank for the poor, the working class and the struggling middle class.
At the root of this philosophy is Bryant’s simple and deeply held conviction that when we all prosper, we all prosper more. That by including those so often excluded – the poor and the shrinking middle class – we can re-energize our stalled economy for everyone, the rich included. Bryant demonstrates by example, that when struggling people have the necessary tools, policies and inspiration, they will rebuild the middle class, and become a new generation of consumers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
