The First 1,000 Days

A Crucial Time for Mothers and Children -- And the World

By: Roger Thurow

Narrated by: James Edward Thomas

An award-winning journalist and anti-hunger advocate explores the promise of-and challenges to-a transformative initiative to end early childhood malnutrition

“Your child can achieve great things.” A few years ago, pregnant women in four corners of the world heard those words and hoped they could be true; among them, Esther in rural Uganda, Jessica in a violence-scarred Chicago neighborhood, Shyamkali in a low-caste Indian village, and Maria Estella in Guatemala’s western highlands.

Greatness was an audacious thought, but the women had new cause to be hopeful: they were participating in an unprecedented international initiative focused on providing proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of their children’s lives, beginning with their own pregnancies. The 1,000 Days movement, a response to recent, devastating food crises and new research on the economic and social costs of childhood hunger and stunting, has the power to transform the lives of mothers and children, and ultimately the world. In this inspiring and at times heartbreaking book, Roger Thurow takes us into the lives of families on the forefront of the movement with an intimate narrative that illuminates the science, economics, and politics of malnutrition, charting the exciting progress and formidable challenges of this global effort.

Critic reviews

Malnutrition is often called a silent emergency, because it can be hard to see the damage it does to children around the world. In The First 1,000 Days, Roger Thurow makes readers sit up and take notice. He takes us to the four corners of the world--from the streets of Chicago to the villages of northern Uganda--to show how the right nutrition helps children not just survive, but thrive.—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #002060}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

"[Roger Thurow] gives an intimate look at the struggles many women face...Poverty, lack of training, and prejudice are at the heart of the world's malnutrition problems...Thurow provides just enough grim facts on infant and mother mortality, the scarcity of food, sanitary conditions for birthing, and the general plight of impoverished families to garner sympathy without being melodramatic, and he also shows how women and children thrive under the right conditions. In today's global society, the children of the world need a voice. Thurow has spoken and made the issue clear: children everywhere need better food and water if they are going to grow into healthy adults."—Kirkus Reviews

Thought Provoking

This book should be required reading for anyone in government. We can no longer ignore those who Jesus called “the least of these” if the human race is to thrive.

A glimpse into a world unknown

Thurow’s work is compelling and urgent. The stories of these four young women capture a world not often seen by me or most of the well off I would imagine. The book is difficult at times to get through because of heavy subject matter and synchronous storytelling. The reader does a good job, but he’s not a favorite of mine.

Absolutely Incredible!

One of the best books I have ever read. Super thought provoking and encouraging to see what we can do to help change the future of our families, communities, nations and world.

Very informative!

I liked the helpful information presented to prepare for the first 1000 days. Also liked the talking pace.

Unable to Finish

Full of rhetoric. Book spent the first 2 chapters talking about politicians, non-profit organizations, and lacks substance on the first 1,000 days. Talks about iron deficiency on natural sweet potatoes, gives an alternative sweet potato produced by some company to convince readers it's better... by what standards and by whom? People in Africa have planted sweet potatoes since time immemorial. Why would a transplanted variety be better than the ones people in that area have grown accostumed to? It's a tragic waste of time. Felt like some sort of a propaganda move.