{"product_id":"the-international-bank-of-bob-bob-harris","title":"The International Bank of Bob * Bob Harris","description":"\u003cp\u003eConnecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time. After a luxury travel-writing assignment exposes the vast wealth gap between five-star resorts and the surrounding local communities, a former Jeopardy! champion decides to use his earnings to finance hundreds of $25 microloans, embarking on a global journey to meet the small entrepreneurs transforming their economies from the ground up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Story: Written by prominent television writer, comedian, and Jeopardy! legend Bob Harris, this critically acclaimed volume transforms global economics into an exceptionally warm, character-driven narrative workspace. An honest, deeply immersive chronicle built around the peer-to-peer microfinance platform Kiva, documenting how small injections of capital can build permanent sanctuaries of financial self-reliance for families across the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative takes business and travel enthusiasts on an eye-opening journey across changing geographical timelines, shifting from the financial centers of the West to rural communities in Peru, Bosnia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Harris utilizes his sharp diagnostic wit to dismantle complex macroeconomic topics, explaining how traditional banking systems isolate and exclude the world's working poor through rigid parameter structures and collateral requirements. The text unpeels how a simple $25 loan, granted directly to a tailor, a farmer, or a shopkeeper, bypasses bureaucratic blockages to actively build local market infrastructure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than delivering a passive, self-congratulatory charity log, the work highlights the profound dignity, resilience, and business acumen of the borrowers he profiles. Harris tracks his capital through a versatile landscape of global street markets and family farms, showing that the global poor are not passive victims needing pity, but brilliant entrepreneurs who excel when given basic access to financial tools. This inspiring memoir is a wonderful addition to sociology and economics shelves, proving that small, collective human actions can dissolve severe systemic inequality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect For: Fans of traditional, highly observant humanitarian memoirs and social entrepreneurship books like Muhammad Yunus's Banker to the Poor, Jessica Jackley's Clay Water Brick, or the works of Blake Mycoskie; readers looking for an uplifting, funny, and deeply educational look at global cultures; and book club curators seeking a memorable story centered on community empowerment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdl class=\"DescList\"\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003ePublished 2013 by Walker Books. First US Edition.\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMicrofinance \u0026amp; Philanthropy \/ Social Entrepreneurship \/ Humanitarian Travelogues \/ Global Economics \/ Inspiring Memoirs\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shopper Vera","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51484316631283,"sku":"202609190011","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0840\/5722\/7507\/files\/1000016758.jpg?v=1789857210","url":"https:\/\/purpleslothmedia.com\/products\/the-international-bank-of-bob-bob-harris","provider":"Purple Sloth Media","version":"1.0","type":"link"}