Connecting the tenets of self-help for the individual to the possibility of a community, societal, and even global awakening, Torfs and Ampe make the case that changing one’s personal quality of life—by identifying what one truly needs to thrive, such as personal agency and connection, rather than profits and material wealth—can be the start of changing others, person to person, which in turn can be the first steps toward creating a “Quality of Life World” with a “people-centric economy, built with innovative socioeconomic tools, employing a global network.” This change-your-heart model urges readers to set aside competitiveness and divisiveness, approaching personal, work, and community lives in a spirit of collaboration, working toward shared values and goals, a lofty aim that, the authors argue, could lead to greater opportunity and a rethinking of concepts as foundational as currency and private property.

“Is there a way to break free of the economic, and social, and governmental systems we’re in without being destructive?” the authors ask. Bold yet inviting, Person to Person calls for a humane revolution, an elevation of empathy, cooperation, and valuing long-term health and sustainability over short-term gains. Perhaps recognizing the enormity of asking readers to lead this shift, the authors blend clear considerations of multilevel selection, Sen’s Capability Theory, and the practicalities of decentralized autonomous organizations with fictionalized passages demonstrating how their ideas might play out in practice. These vignettes follow college students Jake and Leon from dorm-room content creators to business leaders who compensate themselves and their collaborators with “Collaboration Points.”

The scope of Person to Person is large, as is the page count, examining how to make change within the existing framework of business: topics include sovereign assets, “which separate ownership from value,” and even the makings of a strong request for investment. The authors cover all this with welcome clarity and persuasive power, inviting readers to aim big by reaching out to others.

Takeaway: This bold guide lays out how to create a people-centric self, economy, and civilization without being destructive.

Great for fans of: Simone Fenton-Jarvis’s The Human-Centric Workplace, David Nordforos and Vint Cerf’s The People Centered Economy.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/a
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A