This book brings to life the remarkable stories of five exceptional international development leaders and influencers: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Domingo Cavallo, Ela Bhatt, Dzingai Mutumbuka, and Adolfo Figueroa. Together, their experiences and accomplishments challenge us to rethink conventional notions of leadership and international development and to reflect on how others from Africa, Asia, and Latin America will change the world in the years ahead. Drawing on the author’s decades-long relationships with each of the five, the book tells how they overcame incredible barriers and dreadful odds to rise from ordinary and challenged backgrounds to achieve extraordinary impact in important roles, both in their countries and globally. With original firsthand insights, the book explores the character-revealing decisions they made, confronting moral dilemmas between protecting their country, their career, their values, and even their lives when threatened by corrupt antagonists. The book combines a free-flowing storytelling style with an analytical framework to examine how these five determined individuals struggled to reduce poverty, protect basic rights, and promote justice. The book will be invaluable for the international development community, practitioners, students, and researchers. It will also captivate general readers new to the fascinating subject of how African, Asian, and Latin American countries develop and what that will mean for the world as a whole. While many books have been written on what should be done to help rising nations thrive, this one takes readers inside the human story of who brings about change and how. "This is a book about five people who have made the world a better place, written by someone who knows both the world and the people he is writing about. The book documents how―by imagining the impossible and inspiring others around them―seemingly ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Today, more than ever, the world needs more leaders like Adolfo Figueroa, Ela Bhatt, Domingo Cavallo, Dzingai Mutumbuka, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and more writers like David de Ferranti to inspire thousands with their stories." Indermit Gill , Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics of the World Bank Group. Formerly at the Brookings Institution, Duke University, Georgetown University and the University of Chicago. "There are thousands of books recommending development policies, but few on the policymakers implementing them. De Ferranti has written a wonderful book one about five of them: people with vision and ambition, facing a complex political environment, taking risks, committing mistakes but, in the end, making a positive difference." Santiago Levy , Brookings Institution. Former Chief Economist and Vice President for Sectors and Knowledge at the Inter-American Development Bank. Former Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico. Former tenured Associate Professor of Economics at Boston University "It is hard enough to convey the essence of one person’s character but David de Ferranti manages to achieve this for five remarkable people. Their lives, the achievements and the disappointments, hold valuable lessons for anyone interested in understanding what constitutes leadership in challenging times." Masood Ahmed , President of the Center for Global Development. Formerly a Director at the International Monetary Fund. Former Director General, Policy and International at the UK government's Department for International Development (DFID) "Combining page-turner verve with painstaking research, this engrossing exploration of the true stories of five remarkable individuals will captivate anyone, whether they know a lot or nothing about its subject matter -- global development and the ways that Africa, Asia, and Latin America will change the world in the decades ahead. The wake-up call in its messages will keep you riveted." Jean-Michel Severino , Former CEO of AFD, France's government agency for international development. Former senior official of the World Bank. Currently CEO of Investisseurs et Partenaires (I&P), Member of the National Academy of Technologies of France (Académie des Technologies), and Senior Fellow at FERDI (Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development) "De Ferranti, after decades with a front row seat or in the driver’s seat in the field of international development, illustrates through the lives of five remarkable individuals one of the key drivers of change: learn as much as possible, go home, and do everything that is possible." Jorge Quiroga , Former President of Bolivia. Previously, acted as Vice-President and Finance Minister of Bolivia. Former Vice-President of The Club de Madrid. "Individuals make a difference and can help improve the wellbeing of whole communities. This is the central message of this book. With eloquence and empathy, David de Ferranti describes the lives of five extraord