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. (more)

How does one person change the world? Jacqueline Novogratz gave up the rewards of Wall Street to pursue a moral vision that would enable the poor to help themselves by putting their individual destinies in their own hands. Trained as an international banker and development expert, seven years ago she founded Acumen Fund, now recognized as a leader in the field of social entrepreneurship. Novogratz pioneered a “third way” between venture capitalism and traditional charity, one that seeks to effect real change in countries where the average citizen lives on less than $4 a day. She regards people living on limited incomes not as passive victims, but as potential customers and budding business people in their own right.

It all started back home in Alexandria, Virginia, with the blue sweater, a special gift that quickly became her prized possession—until the day she outgrew it and gave it away to Goodwill. Eleven years later in Africa, she spotted a young boy wearing the sweater, with her name still on the tag inside. That her garment had made it all the way to Kigali, Rwanda, where she was helping a group of African women start a micro-finance bank, was ample evidence of the way we are all connected, and how our actions—and inaction—touch people every day across the globe, people we may never know or meet. This awareness continues to drive her efforts to fight poverty, and to bridge the gap between rich and poor.

The Blue Sweater at once is a deeply personal coming-of-age story of a young idealist determined to change the world, and a call to action to all those concerned with growing inequality around the globe. Novogratz relates her experiences over two decades, first in Africa and later in India and Pakistan. Her story is a true testament to the indomitable quality of the human spirit and the power of hope and optimism to create real change.

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 people earning less than $4 a day. She travels frequently and currently resides in New York City.