The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty by Peter Singer

Review

For me, this was truly a life-changing book. It has changed the way I think about charity. I donate more, and I am more selective about the causes I choose to donate to.

The book is in four parts. Part one starts with a thought experiment, and uses logical reasoning to build a case that we should do more - much more - to help those in need. Part two examines the parts of human nature that resist this. Part three looks at how we can give effectively, and some of the challenges in doing so. Part four is pure pragmatism, and asks “what should we as individuals do?”

If any of this sounds high-minded or dry, well, it isn’t. This is a book intended to change attitudes. It isn’t written for academics. Singer writes clearly, we get interesting case studies and anecdotes, and the subject matter is compelling.

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