The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back is a book written by Kevin Salwen and his teenage daughter Hannah in 2010.

[4] The book details the Salwens' process in choosing a charity partner that would fit their values and effect a lasting change, and how their actions supporting and empowering a village in Ghana differed from their original idea of "direct involvement".

[3] The book describes the consensus-driven process that the parents and their two children used–over a period of time–to reach the decision to give away half the value of their home, and how they chose the charity from a number of non-profit organizations that they considered.

[9]Archbishop Desmond Tutu praised Hannah and the Salwens for the project, remarking: "We often say that young people must not let themselves be infected by the cynicism of their elders.

Some critics questioned their choice of charity—finding fault with the family for having donated their money to help needy people in Africa rather than in the United States.

Commented one viewer of a television interview: "What kind of ass clown works his tail off, and busts his hump getting a decent education, only to listen to his kid suggest they give away the house?

"[13] Asked facetiously whether Hannah, then still in high school, had "concocted the world's greatest college-admissions ploy", Kevin laughed and replied: "No.

"[19] Reviewing it for The Washington Post, Lisa Bonos wrote that the book, "soaring in idealism, and yet grounded in realism, can show Americans of any means how best to give back.

"[20] Nicholas D. Kristof, writing in The New York Times, said he found the project "crazy, impetuous, and utterly inspiring", and that "It's a book that, frankly, I'd be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it.

[17] Courtney E. Martin wrote in The Daily Beast that the book "is highly accessible, sure to be devoured by Oprah devotees and disaffected finance guys hoping for a jolt of optimism.

[24] Also writing for The Boston Globe, Joseph P. Kahn said "they're my new role models" – after admitting: "I confess to being fixated on the opposite life formula.

[26] After launching the Giving Pledge, the Gates invited the Salwens to Seattle for a photo shoot and conversation about The Power of Half.