"From the Bottom Up: One Man's Crusade to Clean America's Rivers" by Chad Pregracke

320 pages

Chad Pregracke grew up on the northern Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The mighty water, which flowed right beyond his back yard, was part of his daily life. Then, as he grew older, he began to notice how much trash his beloved river carried. As a teenager, he decided to do something about it. What began as a simple one-man operation became a full-time national movement. In this memoir, Chad explains how it all went down. 

Very inspiring! I love how Chad just saw something he wanted to change and made it happen--with lots of hard work and help, of course. When I finished reading, I felt all pumped up and ready to go out and tackle the world's problems. I like Chad's goofy, humorous way of looking at things, too. I felt like the book could have used a little more editing and maybe had some things rearranged for clarity, but for the most part I enjoyed the actual story as well as the motivational value. 

"Start Something That Matters" by Blake Mycoskie

189 pages

In 2006, entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie was on a trip to Argentina when he noticed how many local children didn't have shoes. After a bit of investigation, he learned how much lack of footwear affected their lives by limiting where they could go and subjecting their feet to injuries and diseases. That's when Blake first dreamed of the company that would become TOMS Shoes. He wanted to start a business that would make money and contribute to a worthy cause, and his idea allowed him to do both. He would make affordable, comfortable shoes and for every pair he sold, he would give a pair to someone who needed it. Blake had no idea that in just a few years TOMS would become one of the fastest-growing companies in the world, enabling the business to not only support its employees but also give away more than a million pairs of shoes in more than 20 countries. In Start Something That Matters, Mycoskie tells the TOMS story and combines the lessons he's learned with wisdom from the innovators behind Zappos, charity: water, FEED projects, the method brand, and many more.

I'm not an entrepreneur and I almost certainly never will be, but I found this book incredibly inspiring nonetheless. The principles Blake shares here are applicable for all kinds of careers and for life in general. The book has motivated me to find ways to incorporate giving into my daily life, and it's also shown me some ways to get out of my in-the-box thinking. This will undoubtedly help me as a librarian, especially when it comes to planning programs. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends and especially to patrons who use our business and nonprofit resources.