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978-0-89587-148-0
0-89587-148-3
$24.95 hardcover
8 1/2" x 9 1/2"
182 pages black-and-white photographs, index
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Habitat for
Humanity and will be used to build low-cost housing for families in
need.
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"This is the
powerful story of Habitat for Humanity--a story of integrity,
effectiveness, and tremendous vision." --Jimmy Carter
"The history of
Habitat for Humanity is all about people--people who have dreamed,
people who have loved, people who have cared enough to make a
difference. Frye Gaillard has brought them brilliantly to life. These
stories will warm your heart. Again and again, in reading them, I was
struck by the fact that it's not saints who are required for the real
work of the world--it's just people like you and me. After reading this
book, you may find yourself searching through an old toolbox for your
own hammer." --Lee Smith
If I Were A
Carpenter traces the poignant history of Habitat for Humanity, one
of the greatest success stories in American philanthropy. As it
approached its twentieth anniversary in 1996, the Habitat organization
had built nearly fifty thousand houses in partnership with low-income
families. The work has spread to forty-eight countries and twelve
hundred communities in the United States, touching the lives of nearly
two million people.
But this is more than the
story of numbers. Award-winning journalist Frye Gaillard follows the
Habitat idea from its dramatic beginnings on a south Georgia farm
through the lives of families and communities all over the world.
Gaillard traveled to Uganda, Kenya, Guatemala, Northern Ireland, and
eighteen communities in the United States to produce this candid and
heartfelt account.
He discovered some problems
along the way, places where Habitat struggled or fell short of its
goals. But mostly what he found was a story of hope--families and
communities building for the future, convinced by their Habitat
experience that it really is possible to make a change for the better.
Gaillard weaves these stories through the history of Habitat itself--the
intertwining lives of its founder, Millard Fuller; his renegade mentor,
Clarence Jordan; and the organization's most famous volunteer, Jimmy
Carter.
The result is a powerful story
of triumph, a piece of good news coming at a time of cynicism and
despair. The Habitat founders have become convinced that the simple act
of building decent houses can transform the lives of families who
receive them, as well as those of the Habitat volunteers. That faith has
been tested by the stark realities of human poverty and need, but after
twenty years, Habitat stands as a symbol of hope.
about the author
Frye Gaillard, former Southern editor of the Charlotte Observer,
is a native of Mobile, Alabama, and a 1968 graduate of Vanderbilt
University. He is the author of numerous books, including Watermelon
Wine: The Spirit of Country Music; The Unfinished Presidency:
Essays on Jimmy Carter; The Dream Long Deferred; As
Long As the Waters Flow; The
Heart of Dixie, and Lessons
From the Big House, and Watermelon
Wine: The Spirit of Country Music. He lives near Charlotte with
his wife, Nancy.
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