Bilaal Rajan,
Making Change: Tips From an Underage Overachiever
Orca Book Publishers, 2008.

Rating: G*

To say that Bilaal Rajan is an “overachiever” is to do an injustice to what is assuredly a very bright student. To say that he is extraordinarily committed is an understatement. For this young Canadian of eastern Indian origins is supremely committed to causes of world hunger and environment and to achieving all that he can be. For this reason Making a Change is almost too driven. This young man possesses extraordinary energy and goals. My fear in having others read this book is that they too would feel obligated to devote the inordinate amounts of time and energy to a cause. It would be comparable to expecting every adult to become Mother Teresa.

Making a Change is divided into two sections: Fundraising Tips for Kids and Eight Principles to Maximize Your Potential. As well as discussing how to fund raise effectively, Rajan devotes a chapter to public speaking and dealing with the media.
Making Change has some very useful information. It is just a little unsettling that a child would be thinking of such weighty matters at such a young age. I have no doubt Bilaal Rajan will accomplish great things in his life. My concern is that he will never afford himself the time to “stop and smell the roses”.

Bilaal Rajan is indeed an unusually serious and committed young man. At age four he started a fund raiser to make money for victims of the earthquake in India. A student at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Bilaal Rajan has big dreams and he is making them happen now. He is the child representative to UNICEF and a seasoned fundraiser.

Thematic Links: Study Skills; Special Education; Goal Setting; Achievement

Gail Lennon
Vol.14, number 2
December 2008

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.