Hearts on Fire: Stories of Today's Visionaries Igniting Idealism into Action

Compiled by Iscol, the founder and president of the IF Hummingbird Foundation, and featuring a foreword by former president Bill Clinton, these lightly edited first-person narratives transcribed from filmed interviews showcase individuals shouldering the daunting task of creating change in their local or global community. Seeing a need and taking responsibility for addressing it pushed Josh Nesbit to cofound FrontlineSMS to improve communication between community health workers in Malawi and their nearest hospital, while Susana de Anda responded to the pollution of water in California’s San Joaquin Valley with the simple statement: “Why is that people that don’t really look like me are... coming up with these terms and talking about these issues? We should be talking about it.” Following an inner voice to overcome obstacles is central to many of these stories, including that of Amy Lehman, who founded a floating health clinic on East Africa’s enormous Lake Tanganyika. Though many stories highlight the awakening of social responsibility, the omnipresent air of humility in these accounts doesn’t allow for scenes of inspiration; instead they exhilarate the reader with the understated way in which these people have made a massive difference around the world. Photos. Agent: Jessica Salky, One30One Agency. (Jan.)