The Price of Humanity

Praise

Knockout New Nonfiction Books to Read in December 2023

“[Schiller] memorably chronicles why philanthropy is important, how it became flawed and what can be done to transform it for the greater good.” — Tobias Carroll, InsideHook

“Down-to-earth, chatty prose…[A] refreshing vision of what true “love of humanity” could look like.” — Philanthropy News Digest

“Schiller presents a hopeful vision of philanthropy and society…Thoughtful, timely reading, both intelligent and humane.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Absolutely essential reading for anyone working in or involved in philanthropy today.” —Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation

“Clear-headed, impassioned and lively … [an] articulate, knowledgeable take on a complex subject. What makes it so entertaining are the well-chosen examples and the humor that inflects, whenever possible, the author’s earned indignation.” —Phillip Lopate, author of Getting Personal

“In The Price of Humanity, Amy Schiller takes an unpromising subject and infuses it with passion, warmth, and humor. She does so by putting pressure on the ‘-anthropy’ in ‘philanthropy.’ What does it mean to live a human life, she asks—is bare survival enough, or does it require something more expansive—and what does it mean to make one possible for others? In so doing, she implicitly illuminates the ‘phil-‘ part, too. How can we love humanity in a way that honors our own? This book provides a pithy, personable guide.”—William Deresiewicz, author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

“This is a magical book. It takes philanthropy out of the hands of the Gates Foundation and the Effective Altruists and restores it to its original purpose: love of humanity. It is an enthralling experience, made all the more by Amy Schiller’s distinctive voice: wise, skeptical, delighted, hilarious, grounded, joyous, sharp, and shrewd, so much in love with the humanity, and the individuals, who move across her pages and, thanks to her narrative art, step into our lives.”—Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edward Burke to Donald Trump