José Mujica is no ordinary president˳ He lives on a small farm with his wife and three-legged dog˳ He drives a light blue, 1987 VW Bug˳ When he served as president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, Mujica donated 90% of his $12,000 per month salary to charities that worked to support small businesses and those living in poverty˳ It’s no wonder the citizens of Uruguay affectionately called him “Pepe˳” But others around the world called Pepe Mujica “the world’s poorest president˳” Pepe dismisses this nickname stating, “I don’t feel poor˳ Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle and always want more˳” Readers should know that Pepe is also known for unapologetically speaking his truth even if his words cause discomfort˳
On a bright June morning in 2012, Pepe Mujica woke up, drank some tea, fed his animals and then headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to deliver a speech to United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development˳ Pepe planned to speak more of his truth to other leaders from around the world˳ He warned the audience as he began that he was “going to speak forcefully this evening and ask some hard questions˳”
Throughout his speech, Pepe talked about climate change, consumerism, desire and humanity˳ Pepe cautioned the audience that “economic growth and progress must add to human happiness, not take away from it˳” He listed “having satisfying relationships with others; raising children; making friends; spreading love in the world” as the foundation of human happiness˳ When he was done speaking, the audience cheered for Pepe and his words˳
The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out (2020) comprises the text of President José “Pepe” Mujica’s speech at the United Nations Conference˳ Poignant, honest and insightful, Mujica touches on topics that, as one reader told me, “keep me up at night˳” Complementing the narrative, Gaku Nakagawa’s minimalist illustrations with muted colors characterize Mujica’s quiet, frugal lifestyle in Uruguay˳ Fascinatingly, holding the book and feeling the pages with each turn added to my experience of reading The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out˳ The sturdy cover and thicker pages subliminally convey the importance of Mujica’s speech˳ The message from the publisher, Enchanted Lion Books, is deliberate˳ This book is a treasure˳ A story to be shared for many years to come˳
José Mujica still lives on a small farm outside of Montevideo with his wife and dog˳ He still drives his light blue VW Bug˳ And even though he is no longer president, the citizens of Uruguay still call him Pepe˳ Clearly, Pepe Mujica has found the human happiness many of us are searching for˳ -Recommended by Mary L˳ Fahrenbruck, Associate Professor, New Mexico State University˳
Title: The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out Illustrator: Gaku Nakagawa Translator: Andrew Wong ISBN-13: 978-1592702893 Copyright: Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020) Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Each month a committee of Worlds of Words advisors recommends a book published within the last year˳ Our hope is to spark conversations on our website and on social media about the book that expand global understandings and perceptions˳ Please join us by leaving a comment˳ You can also share your thoughts with us by using the hashtag #WOWRecommends on social media˳
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- Themes: Andrew Wong, Gaku Nakagawa, Mary Fahrenbruck, World’s Poorest President Speaks Out
- Descriptors: WOW Recommends
