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Also by Malaak Compton-Rock:

If It Takes A Village, Build One, April 2010
Hardcover

IF IT TAKES A VILLAGE, BUILD ONE
By: Malaak Compton-Rock

How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways You Can Too

Broadway
April 2010
On Sale: April 6, 2010
203 pages
ISBN: 076793170X
EAN: 9780767931700
Hardcover
Add to Wish List

Self-Help | Non-Fiction

A must have book for anyone has
ever wanted to make a difference in the world.

Service is the rent we pay for living" says preeminent children's advocate Marian Wright Edelman and this is the motto by which Malaak Compton Rock, dedicated humanitarian and wife of comedian Chris Rock, lives her life.  

From a childhood grounded in the importance of giving back to her work in public relations at The U.S. Fund for UNICEF to becoming a full-time mother and humanitarian, Malaak's life has fully embodied this sentiment. 
 
Part memoir, part practical guide, If It Takes a Village, Build One offers readers insightful advice on everything from how to find just the right volunteer opportunity, how to get kids involved in a life of service, how to research charities, and even how to start a nonprofit, as Malaak did several years ago.  All of this practical wisdom is grounded in inspirational anecdotes about her own experience with service, including her work with Katrina rebuilding and her recent brainchild, Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, a program for at-risk kids from Bushwick, Brooklyn, which takes teens on a two week service mission  to South Africa to volunteer and experience the world.
 
The book also features interviews with other well known humanitarians, like PR powerhouse Terrie M. Williams, activist Bobby Shriver, and journalist Soledad O'Brien and engaging sidebars with interesting facts about service and nuggets of advice.  At the end of the narrative readers will find a compendium ofinformation including Malaak's favorite charities, unique service ideas, and suggested reading and web resources, which will make this a book to be visited time and time again.
 
Far from being preachy or sanctimonious, Malaak's warm voice reminds us all that giving back is ultimately easier and infinitely more fulfilling than we thought it could be. Warm, honest, and accessible, If it Takes a Village, Build One will be the must-have book (and perfect gift!) for aspiring do-gooders.

Media Buzz

Oprah - April 13, 2010
Today - April 8, 2010