Dig Where You Are: How One Person's Effort Can Save a Life, Empower a Community and Create Meaningful Change in the World

by Nan Alexander Doyal

For anyone who has ever wondered if what they do matters or how they can make a difference - Nan Alexander Doyal's voice is what you ve been waiting for. In her book Dig Where You Are she introduces us to seven men and women who have solved some of the biggest challenges facing our societies today. Their stories are entertaining, heart-breaking, inspiring and at their core, empowering. From the slums of Mumbai, the villages of Tibet and northeast Thailand, the inner cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco, and a ghetto outside Stockholm, Dig Where You Are tells of an artist, a surgeon, a teacher, a criminologist, an economist, a community organizer and a general physician each of whom saw a way beyond suffering and injustice, took responsibility for the wellbeing of others and ended up transforming lives and communities across the world. There is a human perspective to these stories that strips away the heroic veneer of its characters and shows recognizable, even average people making a big impact on the world around them. Before becoming a writer, Nan Doyal traveled and worked extensively in North America, Europe and Asia as President of The International Forum. As such she is more than the narrator; she is a guide in the deepest sense. She leads us with knowledge and empathy, sharing stories that are both inspiring and empowering. Like all great guides, she gives us much more than we asked for.

Genres: Nonfiction

262 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2017

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past several years, I have become disappointed by news reports of charity after charity mis-using their donor funds. I could have a long discussion about it but this book is the real antidote. Story after story of people making needed changes in their own community by using what they have right in front of their faces. They work small and nimbly which makes them more successful and creates no waste. I really needed to know this is happening in the world and will forever wonder if I missed some sort of calling to do similar things. I met Nan recently and heard her speak. She is a wonderful human being and refreshingly humble. Thank you for writing this, Nan, and I am so lucky to have met you.

[Jacquelyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several powerful stories reminding us that it is small groups of committed and caring people - not government run social programs - that get things done and change the world.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories of impactful people, but I didn’t love the writing style. Biographies of the heroes were mainly shaped around the author’s personal experiences with each of them and seemed limited in scope.

[Beth Peninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Casper Press for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

This has been on my TBR for a long time, both with NetGalley and my personal. In fact, it was added to my TBR before it was published as an ARC but my life didn't allow for ARCs at the time so it has been sitting there, patiently waiting for me. But then the Supreme Court took our nation many steps backward with stunningly awful reversals and decisions and I needed to read inspiring stories about inspiring people to keep me from drowning in despair. I hoped this title would do the trick. Spoiler alert: it did.

Doyal, who has traveled and worked extensively in North America, Europe, and Asia as President of The International Forum, met many people from all walks of life that were living stories of courage, inspiration, fortitude, problem-solving, change-making, etc. So she contacted seven people who really made an impression on her and asked them to share their larger stories with her, and the world.

Taking us from the slums of Mumbai, the villages of Tibet and northeast Thailand, the inner cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco, and a ghetto outside Stockholm we are introduced to the people and work of seven amazing individuals who have made incalculable differences in their communities and the people who live and work in those communities. And not only has their local community been transformed but the ripple effect is one of changing the world at large...for the better. I was moved by each person and the work they have done and are doing. I was inspired, all over again, to look for ways to engage with my local community for change - reminded that we start where we are and take one step at a time. Each person wasn't born into a knowledge of how and what to do to change their immediate world and the circumstances of people in their community, they educated themselves and put in a significant amount of sweat equity in the pursuit of lending a helping hand to their fellow humans. It's a valuable lesson for each of us.