Miles Roston is a writer and director. Born in New York, he pursued a career in music production before turning to film. Miles has filmed in Africa, as well as the US, Asia, and Europe. His films have depicted the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the impact of the religious right in America or interreligious cooperation in Sierra Leone. The last five years in particular have witnessed him travelling extensively, working on the issue of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. His own frustrations with all the surrounding issues, poverty, family and community breakdowns, and others, led him to seek out the people in this book, to see what can be effectively done to make a world of difference.
Miles’ first book, Kevin’s Questions, about AIDS orphan Kevin Sumba, a Kenyan boy Miles met on his travels through Africa, was published by Exisle in 2006.
Every once in a while, a book comes around that reminds us of what is best about being human. This is one such book, and the stories will leave you crying, laughing, and ultimately moved to change your world and the world around you.
Many of us feel helpless when faced with the seemingly endless pain and poverty in the world. We want to help, yet are paralysed by the immensity of the problem, thinking, ‘What can I possibly do?’ Yet sometimes the smallest actions have the biggest consequences. Making a World of Difference tells the inspiring stories of heroic individuals the world over who are saving lives and solving problems. Within each of their communities, they saw a problem and with their own unique skills and perspectives, set about solving it. Their remarkable stories suggest that the act of giving takes many forms and emphasise that the simplest ideas, executed with commitment and compassion, can be just as important as contributions of money.
What unites the people in Making a World of Difference is their passion, compassion and integrity. They are problem solvers, revolutionaries and creatives – and they’re all real people, just like you or me. Their stories, as told by Miles Roston, tell of how they discovered their passion, what inspires them, their personal highs and lows and, ultimately, why it is and how it came to be that they do what they do.
This is the perfect book for these times. Through sharing the stories of these incredible people, Miles reminds us all of the best of our human nature, gently, with humour and absolute joy.
