Habitat for Humanity to publish new book of inspirational stories from around the world
Written by CEO Jonathan Reckford, with a foreword by Jimmy Carter, coming Oct. 8, 2019 from St. Martin’s Essentials
NEW YORK (March 11, 2019) – It was announced today that St. Martin’s Essentials will publish Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues that Will Change Your Life and the World by Habitat for Humanity International Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Reckford on Oct. 8, 2019. Former president Jimmy Carter will provide a foreword. Will Schwalbe, executive vice president at Macmillan, and Joel Fotinos, vice president and editorial director of St. Martin’s Essentials, acquired world publishing rights from Amy Hughes at Dunow Carlson & Lerner. The book will be available in hardcover, e-book and audio formats.
Our Better Angels offers inspiring stories of people from around the world whose lives have been changed by working together to help one another. With a separate chapter devoted to each of the seven virtues — kindness, generosity, community, empowerment, respect, joy and service — readers will discover ways to apply these in their own lives. Reckford has witnessed the power that these virtues have in helping people beat back the storms of life, and he hopes to empower everyone to use them to build their best selves in ways that affect all areas of their lives — from careers to families, from how they see the world to community interaction.
“In my time at Habitat, I have been privileged to meet and build alongside so many incredible homeowners and volunteers,” said Reckford. “Our Better Angels gives a small glimpse of the millions of people we have partnered with over the past four decades. Each of the inspiring individuals in this book has helped to create strength, stability and self-reliance in many of our local communities and around the world. Their stories remind us of the amazing transformations that can happen when people and communities come together.”
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 22 million people in over 70 countries. Last year, more than 1.4 million people volunteered with Habitat to build or improve a place to call home.
Reckford has served as CEO of Habitat for Humanity International since 2005. Under his leadership, Habitat has gone from helping 125,000 people to 8.7 million people in 2018. 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.
About Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.
U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, St. Martin’s Press and Tor Books. In the UK, Australia, India and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt and Droemer Knaur.
Macmillan Publishers is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. To learn more, visit us.macmillan.com.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.