The Blue Sweater Story
The story of Jacqueline's blue sweater and what inspired her to write the book
Alex's Story
How a young man in Nairobi used the book to inspire change in his community
An Escape From Poverty
Jacqueline's encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute
100 Million Lives Impacted
Acumen combines the best of charity and market-based approaches to tackle poverty.
What People Are Saying About "The Blue Sweater"
-
"The Blue Sweater is a book of hope written by a practical idealist who won't take 'no' for an answer." Former Senator BILL BRADLEY
-
"This is a wonderful book by a remarkable woman." FAREED ZAKARIA, author of The Post-American World and editor of Newsweek International
-
"Jacqueline's book and her work represent an entirely new way to look at things." Author SETH GODIN
-
"A terrific and sober-minded look at the complexities of doing good." NICHOLAS KRISTOF, Author and New York Times Columnist
-
Guide for Teachers
Teach the Blue Sweater in your classroom using this guide.
Teaching Guide -
Read with Your Book Club
Use this discussion guide to organize a book club reading of the Blue Sweater.
Discussion Guide -
Learn about Acumen
Learn more about the organization Jacqueline founded that's changing the way the world tackles poverty.
Acumen Home Get Involved
The Blue Sweater
Bridging the gap between the rich and poor in an interconnected world.
by Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline will donate her paperback royalties to Acumen Fund and other organizations tackling social change.
Order NowRead the first few pages of The Blue Sweater
About The Blue Sweater
The Blue Sweater is the inspiring personal memoir of a woman who has spent her life on a quest to understand global poverty and to find powerful new ways of tackling it. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Jacqueline Novogratz brings us a series of insightful stories and unforgettable characters — from women dancing in a Nairobi slum, to unwed mothers starting a bakery, to courageous survivors of the Rwandan genocide, to entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds.
She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called "patient capital" can help make people self-sufficient and change millions of lives. More than just an auto-biography or a how-to guide to tackling poverty, this book challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world.
About the Author, Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline Novogratz
© Joyce Ravid
Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs bringing affordable and sustainable healthcare, water, energy and housing to low-income communities in the developing world.
Jacqueline has led the Acumen Fund team since its launch in 2001. Under her leadership Acumen Fund has invested $40 million in 44 enterprises serving over 30 million low-income customers in South Asia and East Africa (as of February 2010).
Prior to Acumen Fund, Jacqueline Novogratz founded and directed The Philanthropy Workshop and The Next Generation Leadership program at the Rockefeller Foundation. She began her career in international banking with Chase Manhattan Bank and founded Duterimbere, a micro-finance institution in Rwanda.
Jacqueline currently serves on the Board of the Aspen Institute as well as the advisory councils of Stanford Graduate School of Business and MIT's Legatum Center. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow, a Synergos Institute Senior Fellow and has received honors including Ernst & Young’s 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 2009 CASE Leadership in Social Entrepreneurship Award and AWNY's 2009 Changing the Game Award.
Jacqueline is a frequent speaker at international conferences, including the World Economic Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative and TED.
Jacqueline has an MBA from Stanford and a BA in Economics/International Relations from the University of Virginia.