“Business entrepreneurs build economic prosperity in a society. Social entrepreneurs build communities and knit social fabric. Darell Hammond is an unusual combination of both. His story is both instructional and heart-warming.”

“Darell Hammond’s journey is as inspirational as it is illuminating. His passion for play and his organizational success makes for a book that is invaluable to anyone devoted to youth development or community development.”

“Darell Hammond’s visionary work is helping bring national attention to the critical ‘play deficit’ so many children face and transforming not just children but entire communities. Read this compelling, engaging book and be inspired.”

“The story of Darell and KaBOOM! demonstrates that true leadership and innovation comes from not only celebrating successes, but also embracing and learning from failures. Through his tireless dedication and willingness to continually re-think traditional approaches to creating social change, Darell’s reflections provide powerful insights into what it takes to become a trailblazer not just in the nonprofit sector, but in any sector.”

“It takes equal parts audacity, creativity and vision to build an organization as successful as KaBOOM! – and Darell Hammond has that special blend. I’m proud to have partnered with the organization as First Lady of California to bring 31 new playgrounds to the state’s neediest communities, including the first volunteer-built intergenerational playground in California. It’s a partnership that continues to change lives and transform these communities.”

“Darrell Hammond has led an extraordinary life and made extraordinary contributions to the lives of countless others. Part memoir, part manifesto, KaBOOM! is a passionate story of the transformative power of play in deepening the quality of children’s lives and in strengthening the bonds of families and communities. A searching and practical journey through triumphs and disappointments, KaBOOM! will inspire and enlighten you with the boundless possibilities of imagination, creativity and play.”

“If you ever want to get to the heart of a great entrepreneur, you should read this book. Darell Hammond is one of America’s best social entrepreneurs; he’s bringing play and community back; and here he shares openly and humorfully the life underlying all this.”

“Improving the quality of life in our communities is an important part of the NBA’s mission, and working with Darell Hammond and the KaBOOM! team has enabled us to enrich children’s lives across the country. In KaBOOM!: How One Man Built A Movement to Save Play, Darell demonstrates the extraordinary change that is possible with innovation and teamwork.”

“No one speaks with more passion and authenticity than Darell Hammond when it comes to the needs of our children. In KaBOOM!, Darell Hammond shares important insight into the personal experiences and influences that led him to found one of the nation’s most innovative nonprofits. Through his thoughtful exploration of how KaBOOM! became the successful organization it is today, Hammond inspires us all to take action in our own communities. He reminds us that there is no task more important that fighting for those most voiceless and vulnerable in our country – our children.”

“Darell Hammond is a quintessential social entrepreneur who has overcome personal challenges and built a dynamic organization that is bringing play to hard-hit communities across the country. At a time when play has been marginalized, Hammond’s inspiring and pragmatic story shows how we can make our society a happier and healthier place for all children.”

“KaBOOM! How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play” is extremely timely and full of hope and optimism. Darell’s ability to see possibility in normal human enterprise is as deep as it is global in its implications for how to build a better world. I recommend this inspirational book without hesitation.”

“Before I read this book, I was already steeped in thinking about how the elegant trial and error of our evolutionary heritage has resulted in our unquestionable biological need for play. I had also recognized and researched the dire, across-the-board consequences to us all when play is not honored or prioritized. Playground, kid-organized play has diminished radically, and that makes me fearful for our future. So Darell’s leadership and KaBOOM!’s pioneering, playground-building record that has brought play to so many were already close to my heart.

But as I turned page after page, Darell’s candid, deeply human and profoundly inspirational life story moved me unexpectedly. I realized I was experiencing a powerful, contemporary version of The Hero’s Journey. The core Hero’s Journey story of ‘entering the forest where there is no path,’ experiencing demons (one’s own and those encountered in the forest), with the hero surviving to bring a boon back to society is embodied in Darell’s life trajectory. It is these historically memorable, heroic life stories that have been the catalyst for many positive past cultural changes. They stir something that reflects major unmet societal needs, needs that are challenged and met by the heroic quest.

Our need for community heroism to salve our many societal needs is now the priority of our culture, and the KaBOOM! story bridges from individual to collective heroism, reflecting the movement away from the aggrandizement of the individual and toward an embrace of the community.

To reach readers at this level, I realized, meant that the Darell-KaBOOM! story, like all truly memorable pro-social narratives, was serving as a contagious model motivator for service to others. And though I suspect this reflection on his writing would make the very practical Darell uncomfortable, nonetheless it is very important to see that this book reaches and stirs a very broad audience. Darell Hammond’s life has demonstrated that one very ordinary, non-privileged person has the power to fundamentally organize and connect us to our survival-based reliance on play and community.”

“Darell Hammond is one of the world’s most inspiring and accomplished social entrepreneurs and his book, KaBOOM!: A Movement to Save Play, is a compelling account of the daunting challenges, enormous effort, and brilliant victories that have helped and inspired millions. His story is all about systematically creating a movement, one that has fundamentally changed the way we think about “play”, one neighborhood at a time. This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in changing the world.”