Be the Change: Your Guide to Freeing Slaves and Changing the World

Written by Zach Hunter

Narrated by Kelly Ryan Dolan and Kelly Higdon

Most people think the average teenager isn’t capable of much beyond hanging with their friends and wasting time. But Zach Hunter isn’t your average teenager. And he’s hoping to show you that you’re not either. Zach has been trying to end slavery around the globe. Most people (maybe even you) think that slavery has been over for a long time. But sadly, there are more people bound in slavery now than at any of the times we read about in our history books. Now Zach is working to end slavery and free the men, women, and children who are being held against their will. He’s even found some friends in the fight, including Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Leeland Mooring of Leeland. Just look around the world and on the news and you’ll find that there are plenty of things wrong with our planet—homelessness, hunger, global warming, AIDS…the list goes on and on. And we usually look at these problems and decide they’re too big for us to do anything about. But Zach is proving that one person can make a difference. And in his book, he’ll reveal the elements needed to make amazing changes in your world. In the end, he hopes you’ll find the thing you’re passionate about—and start making changes!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Feb 2, 2010
• ISBN: 9780310772200

Zach Hunter

Zach Hunter is a teenage abolitionist and activist, spending much of his time working to end modern-day slavery around the world and fighting other problems in the world today. When he was twelve, he started a campaign called Loose Change to Loosen Chains, helping to raise awareness and money to free people from slavery. The author of Be the Change, Zach speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year, inspiring them to find their passion and make a change in the world.

Reviews for Be the Change

[navets_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It should be noted that Zach Hunter, the author of “Be The Change” turned 15 just before this book was published. Yes, that’s 15, as in ‘fifteen years old’.Wow.Quick read, great stories of freedom from slavery and a great challenging message from one 15-year-old to a nation FULL of able-bodied, passionate young people who could very well change the world.Zach continuously calls himself an abolitionist - one who desires to abolish modern-day slavery. He is passionate and well-versed in current trends in slavery around the world. He draws from numerous examples of today and hundreds of years ago of regular people making a difference by standing up for what they know to be right.I’m sure that the Church will be hearing more from Zach Hunter in years to come!

[true54blue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

slavery, social action

[rushans_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Zach Hunter is a 16 year old who calls himself a modern-day abolitionist. He launched the Loose Change to Loosen Chains campaign while he was in seventh grade. His goal is to have slavery wiped from the planet in his lifetime. Most of us think that slavery no longer exists, however, we’d be wrong. Modern-day slavery is people working in brick kilns, rice mills, fishing villages, or brothels. It is human beings being traded like chattels. In the book, Hunter helps us understand the reality of modern-day slavery by providing startling statistics, real life stories from former slaves and practical tools to mobilize people into action. Zach Hunter parallels the powerful stories of those who fought for change centuries ago, such as William Wilberforce and Harriet Tubman, with examples of contemporary people fighting for justice, such as Mother Teresa, Bono and Jon Foreman from the music group Switchfoot. He believes that today’s generation can abolish slavery and looks at the elements people need to make amazing changes in the world; elements such as courage, leadership and compassion. This young man, responding to God’s call, is encouraging all of us to ignite our passion and start making changes.