by Adam Braun
First published 2014
Adam Braun starts his career working at hedge funds at sixteen, racing toward Wall Street success. During college travels, he encounters a young boy begging in India. Braun asks what the child wants most. The answer is simple: a pencil. This moment changes everything. Braun leaves his prestigious position at Bain & Company at twenty-four with just twenty-five dollars to start Pencils of Promise. He develops a "for-purpose" approach that combines business principles with philanthropy and social media. Within five years, his organization builds over two hundred schools worldwide. Braun travels through more than fifty countries, meeting business leaders, village chiefs, celebrities, and local heroes. Each encounter teaches him how ordinary people can discover their calling and create meaningful change. The book provides concrete steps for anyone seeking purpose-driven work and shows how to transform ideas into action.
Genres: business, memoir, non-fiction, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, purpose-driven
Setting: India
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Scribner