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Jonathan T. M. Reckford
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Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World Kindle Edition

by Jonathan Reckford (Author), Jimmy Carter (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

Inspiring and insightful, Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World celebrates the shared principles that unite and enable us to overcome life’s challenges together.

“When the waters rise, so do our better angels.”—President Jimmy Carter

Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity, has seen time and again the powerful benefits that arise when people from all walks of life work together to help one another. In this uplifting book, he shares true stories of people involved with Habitat as volunteers and future homeowners who embody seven timeless virtues—kindness, community, empowerment, joy, respect, generosity, and service—and shows how we can all practice these to improve the quality of our own lives as well as those around us.

A Vietnam veteran finds peace where he was once engaged in war. An impoverished single mother offers her family’s time and energy to enrich their neighbors’ lives. A Zambian family of nine living in a makeshift tent makes room to shelter even more. A teenager grieving for his mother honors her love and memory by ensuring other people have a place to call home. A former president of the United States leads by example with a determined work ethic that motivates everyone around him to be the best version of themselves.

These stories, and many others, illustrate how virtues become values, how cooperation becomes connection, and how even the smallest act of compassion can encourage actions that transform the world around us. Here are tales that will make readers laugh and cry and embrace with passion the calling of our better angels to change the way we take care of ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.

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  1. Print length
    232 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Essentials
  4. Publication date
    October 8, 2019
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Our Better Angels brings to light the basic virtues of kindness, generosity, respect, empowerment, community, joy, and service that we all have within us. We are grateful to Jonathan Reckford for sharing such moving stories about transformation, and for showing how easy it is for all of us to choose to help and strengthen others, rather than to hurt and weaken them. This book is for humanity: Read it whether you’re a kid, a grandparent, or anyone in between. It will spark an instant realization of how even the smallest acts of kindness or respect can fundamentally change someone’s path for the better.”

Drew and Jonathan Scott, The Property Brothers



“It has been our honor to work with Habitat for Humanity and see these seven virtues in practice. When we look outside of ourselves, we experience a glimpse of who we can be. Jonathan’s book reminds us to love one another. Amazing things happen when we do!”

Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks

About the Author

Jimmy Carter, our thirty-ninth president, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He is the author of numerous bestsellers, including White House Diary, An Hour Before Daylight and Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Carter grew up on a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1946, and after seven years of service in the Navy, he returned to Georgia and entered state politics, becoming governor in 1971. In 1976, he was elected President of the United States.  Carter aspired to make government “competent and compassionate,” and fought for human rights around the world. His successes include the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, the Panama Canal treaties, and establishing full diplomatic relations with China.  After leaving office, he and his wife Rosalynn created the Carter Center, a nonpartisan organization working to advance human rights and democracy, resolve conflicts, and relieve suffering from disease and hunger around the world. The Carters live in Plains, Georgia, but continue to travel around the world in support of numerous philanthropic efforts.

Jonathan Reckford has served as chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International since 2005. Under his leadership, Habitat has gone from helping 125,000 individuals annually to more than 8.7 million people last year alone build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Reckford earned his MBA from Stanford and went on to managerial positions at Goldman Sachs, Marriott, Walt Disney Company, and Best Buy. Reckford also served as executive pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minnesota. In 2017, Reckford was named Influencer of the Year by the Nonprofit Times.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07PBR744J
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Essentials (October 8, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Jonathan T. M. Reckford

Jonathan T. M. Reckford

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Jonathan T.M. Reckford began his journey as chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International in 2005. Drawing upon his decades of experience ranging from Wall Street to a local church, Jonathan has led the global nonprofit’s tremendous growth. Through his management, Habitat has grown from serving 125,000 individuals a year to helping more than 7 million people last year alone build strength, stability and independence through shelter.

Jonathan is deeply influenced by his parents who were active in the civil rights movement, and by his grandmother, U.S. Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, widely known for her commitment to justice. Jonathan seeks to follow in their footsteps by leading Habitat’s efforts to draw nearer to a world where everyone has a decent place to live.

His path to Habitat was neither immediate nor direct — with stops at Goldman, Sachs & Co., the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, Marriott, The Walt Disney Co., Musicland, Best Buy, and Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minnesota. Every position prepared him to lead Habitat with a passion for the mission, tireless commitment to the work and bold vision for the future.

He is the author of Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World, which provides practical inspiration to bridge the divisiveness of the day. He is a noted speaker and sought-after contributor to home affordability conversations throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Jonathan serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, is the chair of Leadership 18 and is a member of the Freddie Mac Housing Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Urban Steering Committee for the World Economic Forum.

Jonathan holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar. In 1986, he was awarded a Henry Luce Fellowship.

He and his wife, Ashley, have three children and live in Atlanta.

Follow Jonathan on social media — @JReckford on Twitter and Instagram.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
97 global ratings

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Very uplifting
5 out of 5 stars
Very uplifting
The author of this book is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. He explores, through powerful stories, seven virtues. These are kindness, community, empowerment, joy, respect, generosity and service. Each of these stories are wonderfully inspiring and encouraging. This really shows how strong everyone is when they come together to help each other.
I am always amazed how great some people truly are. My job makes this difficult to see in the general public. So, this book really moved my soul. As I was reading these truly inspirational tales, I felt refreshed and uplifted! Sometimes you just need something to restore your heart! This one hit the spot!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Glenda Fitzgerald
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I just started reading this book but I know it's going to give me lots of ideas on how even just1 person can make a real difference in our world. If we can all be kind to all living things, our world will be safer, happier, & better to live in!
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  • Sharon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Building Community
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book to learn more about the Habitat for Humanity organization. What I learned was an appreciation for all the local volunteerism that I have done. It answered my question about why those co-ops, boards and businesses no longer exist. Reading 'Our Better Angels' informs me of how volunteers bond -- meeting their needs and wants -- to build Community.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Darrell Gilmore
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gift to our world
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    All who spend even one day volunteering with Habitat experience these virtues and leave with a passion to come back and experience it all over again. Volunteering with Habitat will open your eyes and heart to all around you that dream of a future for their children and generations to come.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Tricia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is an awesome book that depicts selfless acts of volunteers who travel all over the world to help build houses for low income families. The stories are heartfelt, inspirational and touching.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jean Mader Booklover
    4.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting- pick up a hammer!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019
    Jonathon Reckford is the the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that “helps people in your community and around the world build or improve a place they can call home.” Habitat for Humanity was found in 1976 in Americus, Ga and I guarantee that today there is a Habitat organization close to your home.

    When we think of Habitat, we envision people getting together to build a house. Author Reckford also sees this, but he sees more. He sees the virtues that we gain, those better angels of our nature, by sharing together: kindness, generosity, community, empowerment, respect, joy and service. This book brings these virtues to life by sharing stories of people, whether the owners of a Habitat house, or a volunteer house builder who have changed and grown through Habitat.

    These are feel-good, Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. As we “visit” building sites in the US and around the world, we learn that there is power in committed loving and caring. It’s inspiring to learn that an ordinary person with a tool-belt, or a mother who dreams of a better life her family can change the world. My favorite story was about salsa, and Eric, from Immokalee, Florida. The tomato farms of Immokalee produce most of the wintertime tomatoes for America. It’s a poor area. Eric’s family had qualified for a Habitat home. He and his high school classmates like him now had hope and they wanted to do more, something that would honor and help their community. So they came up with the idea of making and selling salsa! You will enjoy reading how this all unfolded and how it led to more dreams being realized.

    This book is enjoyable and uplifting and would be a good gift. And who knows? Maybe you’ll want to pick up a hammer and start volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press Essentials for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Chris Gottscho
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book by one of the few ministers with a Stanford MBA!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Jon Reckford has really done an amazing amount to help others and make the world a better place, and his book is superb!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Pirate Patty Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiring Book!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019
    With a moving forward by President Jimmy Carter, this is the story of how Habitat for Humanity began. Telling inspiring stories of the many people impacted by the program who then go on to live the seven virtues which Reckford puts forward, one at a time.

    Beginning with the easiest virtue, kindness. Sometimes we don’t see the ‘reward’ of a kind act. Because the reward is a kind act. Kindness can be a chain reaction that leads to Community, Empowerment, Joy, Respect, Generosity, and Service. It’s rather inspiring to read the stories of people whose lives were touched by a kind act, which empowered them to act and pass it forward and succeed.

    President Carter has set the bar for humanitarian works. In his 90’s he is still building, spreading kindness and being of service to people here and abroad. Giving people hope and setting an example.

    He has always been a special man. My father campaigned for him and he was the first President I voted for. Fellow Georgian. His family has always been dedicated to service. I really loved Reckford’s own story and the people he interacted with. What an inspiration they all were. My husband and I have worked on a few homes for Habitat and it was the most rewarding thing we have ever done.

    I hope with this book everyone will find common ground and agree on what path we need to be following. Now I’m grabbing a hammer and helping my neighbor repair her fence. What are you going to do?

    NetGalley/ October 8th, 2019 by St. Martin’s Essentials
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Enlightening
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019
    This book, written by the organization’s CEO, Jonathan Rickford, details some of the history and works of the Habitat for Humanity program and includes some stories about those who have benefited from the program worldwide. Mr. Rickford uses seven virtues to bring out these stories of those people Habitat for Humanity has helped throughout the years. Some of the stories show the successes the people with the homes have achieved, due, in a large part, to the homes they have received. The areas where the houses are built often are filled with disdain and anger toward these interlopers, but, working closely and carefully throughout, the staff and leaders of the Habitat for Humanity manage to usually bring the groups around them “into the fold” of this beautiful organization. This message of love for fellowman or woman as well as of character, acceptance and respect for each other resonates throughout. This is a good read for anyone who is searching for meaning in their lives or who is interested in helping not only those around the but throughout the world. It may just help people who read it to come together, something we all need in this troubled, divided world. Finally, the book is refreshing after all the murder, mystery, selfishness, and such we all encounter daily. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
    3 people found this helpful
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