The Promise of a Pencil - Adam Braun

My review of The Promise of a Pencil first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here now with their permission. As many of you know, I've be reading more non-fiction and this was just a wonderfully inspiring story from the founder of Pencils of Promise. It is well worth anyone's read!

First line: On a sunny autumn afternoon just before my twenty-fifth birthday, I walked into a large bank in my hometown.

As a college student, Adam Braun elected to do a semester at sea, an experience that exposed him to some of the world’s most impoverished countries. Everywhere he went, he asked a child, “If you could have anything, what would you want most?” The idea was to collect answers like souvenirs, but one child’s response—“a pencil”—changed Adam’s path in life.

Following his semester at sea and an internship working with the Cambodian Children’s Fund, he set his sites on creating an organization to change people’s lives. His friends and family encouraged him to pursue a job in finance. He could save money and after a couple decades start a non-profit. But after less than a year with a prestigious New York company, Adam realized he couldn’t wait.

Divided into sections he labels as mantras, The Promise of a Pencil is a young entrepreneur’s inspiring memoir detailing the bumpy but exciting road to his dream. From making a $25 deposit to landing on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list, Adam Braun took a vision and made it a reality.

Adam’s story is motivating; he enlisted new technologies, made many sacrifices and found supportive mentors and colleagues. But it’s equally uplifting; he made mistakes, learned hard lessons and still persevered in order to do something monumental for those less fortunate.

Adam believes, “Every person has a revolution beating within his or her chest. I hope this book helps you find yours.” The Promise of Pencil certainly has the potential to do just that.

The Promise of  Pencil is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781476730622) from Scribner. There is also a Simon & Schuster unabridged audiobook download version, narrated by Kirby Heyborne.

Looking Forward to March

Since I've been going through the books I have for March and growing more and more excited, I thought I'd do a highlight post of the four I'm most looking forward to. At least so far! I'm hoping to be able to read them all, although they may not all fit into March--don't forget about Left Coast Crime!

The first book on my radar is Brad Parks' next Carter Ross mystery, THE PLAYER. The series has only continued to get better, so I'm excited to delve into the new installment that has Carter investigating strange illnesses in a small neighborhood. This one sounds like a creative twist on environmental poisoning stories. THE PLAYER comes out March 4th from Minotaur.

The next book is a non-fiction. And it's a memoir. Those who know me well know I usually run screaming at the mention of a memoir, but the basis for this young man's story is a cause near and dear to my heart: education. So I'm intrigued and looking forward to THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL. Adam Braun, the book's author, has been named to Forbes's list of 30 under 30 because of his work creating this non-profit that builds schools and trains teachers in impoverished areas around the world. So, I have high hopes for this memoir from Scribner. THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL comes out March 18th.

The third gem for March is the second book for Orest Stelmach. THE BOY WHO STOLE FROM THE DEAD is the follow-up to his 2013 debut THE BOY FROM REACTOR 4. Despite the boy titles, Stelmach's continuing character is Nadia Tesla. In THE BOY WHO STOLE FROM THE DEAD, Nadia has to take on an international investigation when a mysterious young hockey phenom is accused of murder in New York City. An added bonus on buying this book is Stelmach's continuing donation to Chernobyl Children International. I'd be excited to read it without the charity connection, but it sure is nice to see someone reaching out for others, isn't it? THE BOY WHO STOLE FROM THE DEAD comes out March 11th from Thomas & Mercer.

Then a book I've been waiting for! Louis Bayard isn't as prolific  as some writers (in novel-writing, he does quite a bit of additional writing, though) so whenever something new comes out, it's cause for celebration. This March his book ROOSEVELT'S BEAST will be out from Henry Holt. If you visit his website, he has a short audio clip about his writing of the book. Bayard is so fascinating and I'm psyched about this book. This is an alternate history story of Teddy and Kermit Roosevelt's Amazon voyage in 1914. The two Roosevelts are kidnapped by a native tribe. I've come to learn that a book from Louis Bayard is absolutely worth the wait. ROOSEVELT'S BEAST comes out March 18th.

O.k. so those are the books I'm most looking forward to in March. What has caught YOUR eye?