Thirst
A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World
About the book
Scott Harrison spent ten years as one of New York City's top nightclub promoters, a life of drugs, alcohol and models, before asking himself what the exact opposite of that life would look like. He walked away, served aboard a hospital ship in West Africa for 16 months, and in 2006, with no money and no experience, founded the nonprofit charity: water. The memoir recounts how the organization grew to raise over $300 million and give more than 8.2 million people clean drinking water, and how its 100% donation model, bold storytelling, inventive branding and commitment to transparency set it apart. All of the author's net proceeds go to charity: water projects.
Michael Bloomberg recommended it to anyone who has dreamed of changing careers or the world, and David Heinemeier Hansson included it among the books he read in 2018, calling it an at times tense redemption story.
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This book has 5 recommendations
Brene Brown (Author & Researcher)
Thirst is a story about all of us. In sharing his own remarkable journey, Scott shows us how to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, how to find hope in despair, and how simple acts of generosity can transform everything from what we believe about ourselves to how we connect with each other. In the end, Thirst is about what matters most. Love.
Adam Grant (Author)
This book does for the soul what water does for a parched throat. Scott Harrison shares his extraordinary transformation from party animal into the visionary leader of one of the world’s most creative and crucial charities. His story will inspire you to think bigger, feel deeper, and give more.
Arianna Huffington (Founder/Thrive Global)
Scott Harrison's Thirst is a hope-filled book about finding your purpose in life and pursuing it against all odds. From the many unbelievable stories Harrison shares from the field, to the moments when charity: water’s survival was in question, this book will inspire you to believe that you are more than the obstacles life has put in your path, and the world is more generous than it often seems.
Michael Bloomberg (Founder/Bloomberg)
If you’ve ever dreamed of changing careers or changing the world, read this book.
David Heinemeier Hansson (Co-Founder/Basecamp)
Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water, tells his redemption story of being a night-club promoter in NYC that ran the hard and fast life for a decade before rediscovering his faith and committing to a mission for humanity. It’s an at times tense story that gives you a real appreciation for those who choose to give their life to a higher cause.
It was also at times a bit of hard book for me to read, because it’s such a personal account of how Harrison’s christianity drives his work down to a tactical level that’s difficult to connect to as an atheist. Tactically praying for specific milestones and luck, and then going OMG: God Just Totally Bailed Us Out, is just so far out of my personal worldview that it was pretty jarring at times.
But I’m thankful that Harrison didn’t shy away from going there, even if he must have known that it could be a bit grating for people not in the “of course you ask the big man upstairs for a favor” camp. It’s authentic, and it’s healthy to see how most of the people in the world uses religion to guide their daily life.
It’s also just a feel-good story that inspires you to care. I signed up monthly donations via The Spring.
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