Lighting the World

A former power company executive "makes his provocative case for powering up the Third World" (Discover).

Without electricity, everything is harder. Imagine no cell phones, refrigerators, kitchen lights, or radios. Imagine having to finish all the day's tasks—cooking, working, cleaning—before the sun goes down. Your children couldn't do homework; you couldn't read. It seems unthinkable today, yet this is how a staggering number of people on Earth still live. But Jim Rogers believes that can soon change—transforming not only people's daily lives, but also their hopes for the future.


In Lighting the World, Rogers describes how an international coalition can come together to secure financing, spearhead the newest and cleanest technologies, and work with the governments, entrepreneurs, and NGOs already on the ground to ensure that everyone has access to a steady and reliable supply of power. In today's competitive world, Rogers believes, that shouldn't be an accidental privilege, but a fundamental human right.

Praise for Lighting the World

"A passionate, but not ideological, argument that offers a practical approach to solving real problems." —Kirkus Reviews

"An enthusiastic account and a great starting point for readers curious about sustainable, worldwide electricity." —Library Journal

"In Lighting the World, Jim Rogers treats us to two books in one: a gripping journey around the dramatic world of energy for the poor combined with a fascinating account of what it takes to run and innovate a major U.S. utility." —Dan Kammen, Professor of Energy, Energy and Resources Group & Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California