Better World Books Podcast: Kevin Salwen & Hannah Salwen

06/28/10 • 26 min

When 14 year old Hannah Salwen saw a homeless man begging for food on the side of the road she knew something wasn’t right and she knew she wanted to do something to fix it. The Salwen’s were well off and already heavily involved in some local charities but for Hannah that just wasn’t enough. After much discussion, her mother Joan finally said “What do you want to do Hannah, sell the house?” To which Hannah replied, “Yes.”

This began a journey for the entire Salwen family in which they decided to sell their house and give half the sales price to a worthy cause. And so THE POWER OF HALF was born.

Hannah and her co-author, (a.k.a. Dad) Kevin came by our offices a couple of weeks ago to chat about the book, the project, and what it means to them. They explain that not everyone has to sell their house. They know that’s not possible. But they do believe there are things you could do with less of and that every little bit counts. The idea of giving up half of something is that it’s measurable and easy to get your head around.

Who are these people, you ask? Well, after meeting the Salwens I can tell you... they are regular people just like you and me. Hannah is now 17 and wants to be a nurse someday. She and her Dad are close, but they still have the normal dad/daughter stuff about being home on time, etc.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting the Salwens in today’s podcast and maybe you’ll even be inspired to start a Power of Half project of your own.

Enjoy the interview!

Like this interview? Subscribe today!
Want more of the Better World Books Podcast now? Click here to check out the rest of the great authors who stopped by or called in for a chat!

Comments or questions about the podcast? Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at podcast AT betterworldbooks.com.

— Dana Barrett, Podcast Host

This began a journey for the entire Salwen family in which they decided to sell their house and give half the sales price to a worthy cause. And so THE POWER OF HALF was born.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting the Salwens in today’s podcast and maybe you’ll even be inspired to start a Power of Half project of your own.

Enjoy the interview!

Like this interview? Subscribe today!
Want more of the Better World Books Podcast now? Click here to check out the rest of the great authors who stopped by or called in for a chat!

Comments or questions about the podcast? Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at podcast AT betterworldbooks.com.

— Dana Barrett, Podcast Host

Previous Episode

Better World Books Podcast: Juliet Gael

Juliet Gael is living a life that most of us can only dream about. She lives in Florence, Italy where she researches her favorite topics and writes novels about them. Pretty great, right? I know I’m all sorts of jealous. That said, Juliet works hard. Her debut novel ROMANCING MISS BRONTË is incredibly well researched and as close to the real thing as humanly possible.

The book is the story of the lives of the Brontë sisters, whose novels have made them famous characters in history. The novel brings to life early nineteenth century England where life for women was far different than it is today and the kind of success Charlotte and her sisters achieved was quite rare. In fact, their books were originally published under male pseudonyms.

As the title implies, not only is the book about the sisters but about the love or loves of Charlotte’s life. Since not much information remained about her husband, Arthur Bell Nicholls, Juliet took on the task of writing their story.

When Juliet came by our offices last month we chatted about her life and where the line between fiction and fact falls in the book.

I’m far from an expert on the Brontë sisters, though I feel like more of one now and after reading the book and I am inspired to go back and re-read JANE EYRE and WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Maybe you will be too. (Coincidentally, both books are available as part of our summer sale!)

Enjoy the interview!

Like this interview? Subscribe today!
Want more of the Better World Books Podcast now? Click here to check out the rest of the great authors who stopped by or called in for a chat!

Comments or questions about the podcast? Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at podcast AT betterworldbooks.com.

— Dana Barrett, Podcast Host

Next Episode

Better World Books Podcast: Garth Stein

When an author hits the New York Times Bestseller List things change. He or she can become intoxicated by their new found fame... begin to demand a special kind of bottled water in his or her dressing room, and... oh wait... that doesn’t usually happen with authors. In fact, they rarely have dressing rooms.

But one thing that does happen is that all the new found readers rush right back to the bookstore looking for everything this writer had previously written. And that is exactly what is happening with Garth Stein. THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN has been a smash hit and has practically made Garth a household name. (Well, he might not be as well known as Kleenex, but he’s close.) Anyway, the point is all of this hub-bub has brought about the re-release of Garth’s first book, RAVEN STOLE THE MOON.

As with RACING, RAVEN STOLE THE MOON examines some complex themes and emotions like the death of a child, religious and mystical beliefs and more. The book was written in the dark ages – you know, the 90s, before cell phones were everywhere and Garth opted to keep it that way. But you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out what other changes he made!

Enjoy the interview!

Like this interview? Subscribe today!
Want more of the Better World Books Podcast now? Click here to check out the rest of the great authors who stopped by or called in for a chat!

Comments or questions about the podcast? Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at podcast AT betterworldbooks.com.

— Dana Barrett, Podcast Host