With monthly book recommendations featuring international authors, characters living in the countries in which Opportunity works, or issues related to global poverty and development, the Book Club is a great way to learn and explore—right from the comfort of your couch.
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
Charles William Elliot
How the Opportunity Book Club works
- Each month, we select a book about a region of the world in which Opportunity works, a topic we want to learn more about (like poverty, development, philanthropy, generosity, or global economics), or an issue that is relevant to our clients. The books range in length, genre, and narrative style, so there is something for everyone on the list!
- We’ll send you an email announcing the book of the month—just sign up to stay up to date!
- Want to talk about a book in person? Great! Gather a few friends, put out some wine and cheese, and start chatting. Our full list of Book Club selections is always available to you—so you can always find a book of interest.
Sign up for the book club!
2022 Books
January: The Memory of an Elephant by Alex Lasker
February: Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu
April: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
May: Think Again by Adam Grant
June: Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds by Mondiant Dogon
July: Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
August: Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia by Michael Crawley
2021 Books
January: A Burning by Megha Majumdar
February: Range by David Epstein
March: A Girl is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
April: Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza
May: Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
June: How I Learned to Understand the World by Hans Rosling
July: His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
August: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Varghese
September: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
October: The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer
November: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
December: UnPoverty by Mark Lutz
2020 Books
January: Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo
February: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
March: Looking Up by Michele Sullivan
April: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
May: Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
June: The Hundred Wells of Salaga by Ayesha Harruna Attah
July: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
August: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
September: City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence
October: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
November: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
December: The Dragons, The Giant, The Women by Wayétu Moore
2019 Books
January: Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
February: Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
March: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
April: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya
May: The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
June: King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
July: Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
August: A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee
September: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
October: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
November: Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
December: Monstress by Lysley Tenorio
2018 Books
March: Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
April: We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
May: China in 10 Words by Yu Hua
June: Factfulness by Hans Rosling
July: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
August: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
September: Bigger Than Me by Ward Brehm
October: Charity Detox by Robert Lupton
November: Indonesia, Etc. by Elizabeth Pisani