Yesterday we tweeted a chapter-by-chapter review of Vikram Akula's new book, A Fistful of Rice: My Unexpected Quest to End Poverty. In case you missed them onTwitter, here is the full review for you, tweet by tweet:
In his new book #vikramakula = Yunus version 2.0. Mantra: not earning profit is unethical. http://amzn.to/barLrm #SKS
Ch. 1: #vikramakula thumbs across US w/$20, finds morality and proves Nietzsche wrong. #SKS to follow. http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 2 #vikramakula as a development worker, learns how tough village life is and how tough-minded village women are. http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 2: New ideology, “putting the last first.” Development must be participatory! (Easier said than done) http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 3: Grameen initiation. #vikramakula emulates Yunus, vows to outperform him. Oedipus? http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 3: 1998. #SKS starts w/$52k from friends. Idea: commercialize! 1st: pull strings to avoid corruption. http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 4: 12/98: 165 members, 8 villages. Fighting thugs and biases. OK start, but how to get huge? http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 5: New idea: Standardize, exploit tech. Still, old-style problems: thugs, a fatwa, guerillas. http://amzn.to/barLrm #SKS
Ch 5: 2002, #vikramakula divorced, emotionally spent, in debt. Hello McKinsey, Chicago. http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 6: 2005 Rahul Gandhi visits #SKS. 120K borrowers. Feeling big, but quests for bigger. http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 6: 2006 200K borrowers. Sits down w/Gates and Buffett. WSJ notices. VCs put in $11.5m. Big time! http://amzn.to/barLrm #SKS
Ch 6: #vikramakula: High profit is more ethical than nonprofit #microfinance. Yunus: Scroundrels! http://amzn.to/barLrm
Ch 7: Google territory. #SKS future: cross-marketing and aggregating buying power. Happy ending? http://amzn.to/barLrm
Fistful of Rice: Great story. Now waiting for the other side of it. http://amzn.to/barLrm