Change of Mind: The Blue Sweater

In this week's issue of Time Magazine, there was an intriguing article titled 25 Responsibility Pioneers. The article listed twenty five companies, nonprofits, and activists that are really making a difference in the world. Included are powerful individuals, large corporations and innovative thinkers. As I continued to read the article, I discovered a photo of Jacqueline Novogratz. Next to her picture was a brief summary of her work and accomplishments with the Acumen fund. After seeing this article and reading Novogratz's book, I really changed my opinion of her life and the achievements that followed.

While reading The Blue Sweater, I often questioned how unique her story really was. I mean, there must be other do-gooder global citizens out there, right? People who are constantly working to better their global community and dedicate their whole lives to the cause? These questions ultimately made me belittle Novogratz's work, for I assumed that there were more Jacqueline Novogratzs in the world who we weren't hearing about. I also wondered why it was this particular book we were assigned. Why her work? Why her story?

Yet after seeing Novogratz's work in a popular magazine, many of these questions were answered, forcing me to reevaluate the judgement that I had made about The Blue Sweater. The Time article allowed me to see the Acumen Fund's originality along with Novogratz's individuality. We read The Blue Sweater because of the author's new and unique perspective on charity work. We discussed her story because of the difference it was making in the world, and how the future would be affected by her work.

Seeing Jacqueline Novogratz's face outside of The Blue Sweater allowed me to view her work in new way. I was able to appreciate her unprecedented thoughts and her bold approach to improving the current methods of charity. I gave more credit to the discussions and class time we spent discussing the book. The Blue Sweater illustrates a powerful example of what a strong individual is and how they live their life, something we should all strive to be. After reading the book and have realized the connection with it and the public world, I have realized that Jacqueline Novogratz is truly a global citizen and that her work is touching the lives of millions around the world.