Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World

by Scott Harrison — Hardcover Edition

In the New York Times bestseller Thirst, Scott Harrison delivers a remarkably candid and inspiring personal account of redemption, second chances, and the transformative power of purpose. At twenty-eight years old, Harrison lived a life of excess. As a top nightclub promoter in New York City, his existence was an endless, hollow cycle of drugs, alcohol, and elite parties. Ten years into this lifestyle, feeling desperately unhappy and morally bankrupt, he asked himself a radical question: "What would the exact opposite of my life look like?"

Walking away from everything he knew, Harrison spent the next sixteen months volunteering on a hospital ship in West Africa. It was there, amidst devastating poverty and illness often caused by unsafe drinking water, that he discovered his true calling. In 2006, armed with no money and absolutely no nonprofit experience, he founded charity: water. Today, that organization has raised over $750 million to provide clean, safe drinking water to more than 17.4 million people across the globe.

Disrupting the Nonprofit Landscape

Thirst is more than a memoir; it is a masterclass in how to build a better business and a better charity. Harrison recounts the twists, turns, and staggering challenges of building an organization that completely disrupted traditional philanthropy. Under his leadership, charity: water pioneered a new standard for social enterprises by implementing:

• The 100% Donation Model: Guaranteeing that every public dollar donated goes directly to funding water projects, with private donors separately covering all overhead costs.
• Radical Transparency: Utilizing GPS coordinates and unedited photos to prove to donors exactly where and how their money is making an impact.
• Imaginative Branding & Storytelling: Transforming the way social entrepreneurs connect with the public, shifting the narrative from guilt to hope, and inspiring millions to join a global mission.

A Blueprint for Personal & Global Change

Standing alongside iconic business and humanitarian memoirs like Shoe Dog and Mountains Beyond Mountains, Harrison's gritty story proves that it is never too late to make a profound change in your own life while making a monumental difference in the world. Furthermore, as a testament to the book's mission, 100% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of Thirst go directly to fund charity: water projects worldwide.

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