Follow a Kiva lender into the field

"No book this important should be this delightful. Bob Harris's funny, tender, and incisive opus works as both an engaging personal memoir and a clear introduction to the world of microfinance. Filled with astonishing anecdotes and indelible characters from those corners of the world most of us never explore, Bank of Bob celebrates a process that is improving the lives of millions through a radically simple concept: moving us past the "virtue of charity" to the exultation of connection. Give this book your time. It will pay you back."

— Joss Whedon, filmmaker, The Avengers

"Surprising in so many ways: a travelogue that makes the people in exotic locales as accessible as your next-door neighbors;a book about poverty alleviation that often makes you laugh out loud (or cry, sometimes on the same page);and a portrayal of loving families in challenging environments that leaves you feeling stronger, more connected to the world, and full of hope. In short: joyous, humane, and inspiring."

— Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group

"Bob Harris shows us how to save the world without being an insufferable prig — The International Bank of Bob is enlightening, inspiring, and entertaining."

— Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature

"Most travel books promise to transport you to parts of the world you've never seen. This book goes one better: it will take you to places you'd never have the courage to go, to meet people you'd never meet—from a bicycle repairman in the backstreets of Rabat to a pig trader in Tuzla to a barber in Beirut. And it's not even a travel book. It's a quest! Bob Harris goes literally (and literarily) to the ends of the earth in order to see first-hand the effects of his microfinancing loans. A writer with a big heart and a keen eye, Harris's book will make you feel optimistic, inadequate, informed, fortunate, awful, and edified. It may also inspire you to help change the world."

— Hart Hanson, creator, executive producer, and writer, Bones

"Read this book. Be amazed by a man as decent as Bob Harris. Learn how the world works. And be entertained, amused, and enlightened along the way. Seriously. Just by reading a book."

— Arthur Phillips, author of The Tragedy of Arthur

"What a wonderfully uplifting book—proof positive that small things really can have a huge impact. This compassionate travelogue through the world of microfinance not only moves you to count your own blessings, it inpires you to want to make a difference in this world—just like Bob has."

— Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of FlashForward

"Believe it or not—and I know most people don't—there's a moral arc that bends toward justice, and the world really is becoming a better place to live. This is due in part to the spread of democratic institutions from the top down, but the real change is coming from the bottom up from people like Bob Harris and a boots-on-the-ground approach to helping people improve their lives one small loan at a time. This book is not only inspirational, it is illuminating, enlightening, and well, damn funny!"

— Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and author of The Believing Brain

"Truly inspirational. Ten minutes after I finished this book, The International Bank of Ken opened in Cambodia."

— Ken Jennings, author of Because I Said So!