IF YOU HAD THE RESOURCES TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING GREAT IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Legendary investor Warren Buffett posed this challenge to his son in 2006, when he announced he was leaving the bulk of his fortune to philan-thropy. Howard G. Buffett set out to help the most vulnerable people on earth-nearly a billion individuals who lack basic food security. And Howard has given himself a deadline: 40 years to put more than $3 billion to work on this challenge. Each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our goals in life. Howard learned this lesson through his passion for farming: all farmers can expect to have about 40 growing seasons, giving them just 40 chances to improve on every harvest. This lesson applies to all of us, however, because we all have about 40 productive years to do the best job we can, whatever our passions may be. 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World is a book that captures Howard's journey. We join him around the world as he seeks out new approaches to ease the suffering of so many. It is told in a unique format: 40 stories that will provide readers a compelling look at Howard's lessons learned, ranging from his own backyard to some of the most difficult and dangerous places on Earth.

如果你擁有一筆巨大的財富，而你可以利用這筆財富為世界作出偉大的貢獻，你會怎麼做呢？傳奇投資家華倫巴菲特在2006年交給他兒子這項艱鉅的任務，並宣布要將大筆財富全數捐助慈善機構。他的兒子霍華德巴菲特決定去幫助地球上那些最無助的人，這些人連生存所需最基本的糧食保障都沒有，而且人口居然高達十億。霍華德為自己訂定了一個期限：限期40年投入超過30億美元來達成這項任務。人在一生中都有這樣的「黃金40年」來達成人生目標，霍華德透過他對農耕的熱情學到了這寶貴的一課：每位農夫都可以擁有40個耕種年，所以一共有40次機會改善每年的收成。每個人其實也都適用這樣的規則，不論我們的熱情所在，我們有40年的生產力可以去把工作做到最好。《40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World》這本書記錄了霍華德的旅程，我們也能透過這本書和他一起到世界各地，觀察他是如何尋找新方法去幫助許許多多受苦的人。本書編排相當特別，以四十個故事去呈現霍華德在這趟旅程所學到的人生課題,不論是在他家後院甚至到地球上最艱困最險惡的地方，用觸動人心的角度帶領讀者感受霍華德得到的人生學問。