I know John and his story; really enjoying Martha's slightly different perspective and the back and forth of their experiences. Interesting blend of s...moreI know John and his story; really enjoying Martha's slightly different perspective and the back and forth of their experiences. Interesting blend of story telling and exposition. (less)
I am more familiar with the Dinka than the Nuer, so this book gave me some insight into the Nuer, and it made the clever move to note that the Nuer ha...moreI am more familiar with the Dinka than the Nuer, so this book gave me some insight into the Nuer, and it made the clever move to note that the Nuer have an important role in anthropology, having been studied closely in the 1940s. Their late 20th century appearance in and adaptation to Minnesota is contrasted to what anthropologists learned about them in the 1940s. My personal take away from this book was to learn that occasionally volunteers who give a lot feel betrayed, or at least not sufficiently thanked, but most find their work to be incredibly rewarding. (less)
Looking forward to this book as it seems to seek out refugees shortly after they leave their home country and wind up in various places. Starts with t...moreLooking forward to this book as it seems to seek out refugees shortly after they leave their home country and wind up in various places. Starts with the Liberians in Cairo; very interesting! (less)
Susan D. Moeller concludes Compassion Fatigue with an antidote that affirms the importance of stories like Joseph's personal story, and the importance...moreSusan D. Moeller concludes Compassion Fatigue with an antidote that affirms the importance of stories like Joseph's personal story, and the importance of having him speak in schools, churches, to service groups--anywhere people are willing to hear and learn from him.
"We need to be put in as close contact as possible with people at risk. We need nuanced and in-depth coverage of crises and we need to hear and see the human side too. The former without the later is boring, the latter without the former is sensationalized. To get it right, the media need to think of both the short term and the logn term. They need to think of both their own interests and the 'public interest.'" (321)
I picked this book up in a Barnes & Noble in Baltimore while on vacation, could hardly put it down, had to fight back tears. I'm passionate about spor...moreI picked this book up in a Barnes & Noble in Baltimore while on vacation, could hardly put it down, had to fight back tears. I'm passionate about sports and working with refugees, so this book hit me from both directions. (less)
Fascinating weaving of tales from multiple points of view: the Sudanese temporary ousting of the British in 1885, followed by British re-capturing of ...moreFascinating weaving of tales from multiple points of view: the Sudanese temporary ousting of the British in 1885, followed by British re-capturing of Khartoum in 1898. Interesting echoes with Iraq invasion--the easy fall of the city, followed by disaster. Mahjoub really knows how to pull threads together with great lines like "he [Kadaro--a boy who grew to a man in the novel:] understood then that the battle was not between men of different colours or faiths, but between two different ages. The world beyond, a world he did not know, existed in a different age--an age that was much faster than that which he knew and so much wiser. This was a war between yesterday and tomorrow." (less)
Interesting weaving of three stories; key moments told from three points of view. Many readers seem to prefer They Poured Fire to What is the What bec...moreInteresting weaving of three stories; key moments told from three points of view. Many readers seem to prefer They Poured Fire to What is the What because readers don't seem to trust Dave Egger's narration, but What is the What covers a lot more ground: extensive stories from refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, lots about life in America. Fire is still a compelling, chilling read, but for the "whole" story, go with What is the What. (less)
Compelling narrative; would have appreciated a bit more political / historical contextualization. I'm interested in the discussion of authenticity an...moreCompelling narrative; would have appreciated a bit more political / historical contextualization. I'm interested in the discussion of authenticity and craft around books like this; some nice weaving of flashbacks into the book, especially after Beah got away from the fighting. (less)
Total impulse buy of a book that apparently nobody else has read. University of Manitoba Press probably doesn't have a bit marketing arm.
...moreTotal impulse buy of a book that apparently nobody else has read. University of Manitoba Press probably doesn't have a bit marketing arm.
Krotz recounts various stories from his experiences working in Angola, Tanzania, and Kenya. I know woefully little about Angola, so Krotz has at least given me a frame of reference for learning more. His take on the UN prosecution of a few Rwandans after the genocide was enlightening and matched up perfectly with the interpretation I have come to get from my Congolese friends. The genocide was obviously a horrific period in that country's history and in the history of global inaction, but to say that the Hutus simply slaughtered innocent Tutsi's is a gross simplification of the back and forth, civil war like dimension of that conflict. Krotz came to believe that the UN went into the tribunal with the verdict already determined, and the one judge who really wanted to get the story straight was removed from the 3 judge panel. So much for outsiders doing good. The account of how the tribunal brought money but also problems to the small Tanzanian city is also enlightening.
About half the book covers HIV research in Africa, and what a rush of scientific inquiry happened on the continent when research dollars became available. At one point, a group of scientists in South Africa abandoned their research because they came to believe that circumcision was so successful in preventing the acquisition of the virus that they could no longer ethically maintain a control group of uncircumcised men. Another team of researchers thought it was unethical to abandon their research until the study was completed. Related issues of IRB interference will be of interest to all academics who wrestle with IRB boards.
Not riveting or heart-wrenching stories, but that is more than okay--insightful, thoughtful, outsider perspective. (less)
Finally finished Zizek's Violence after having started it late summer or fall. Zizek offers the provocative arguments that instead of acting in respo...moreFinally finished Zizek's Violence after having started it late summer or fall. Zizek offers the provocative arguments that instead of acting in response to global crises and violence, we need to "learn, learn, learn" and not perpetuate "our" academic activism of dialogue and critical inquiry. Seems a little contradictory that he supports learn, learn, learn but not dialogue. That said, I do continue to find Zizek compelling and interesting, a leftist McLuhan, a joker, but each joke a serious stab at dogmatic slumberers and liberals. (less)
I'm still puzzling over this book, but after three or four times threw it, and considerable readings of the secondary scholarship, I am finally starti...moreI'm still puzzling over this book, but after three or four times threw it, and considerable readings of the secondary scholarship, I am finally starting to make sense of it. I think it might have been McLuhan's attempt at his great attempt at a synthesizing work in the artistic mode, as he tries to write with Finnegans Wake, rather than about it. My reading notes can be found here: http://virtualpeacegarden.com/?q=node/4(less)
This book is full of heart-breaking and uplifting stories about refugees resettling from their war-torn countries to Lincoln NE, an unlikely location ...moreThis book is full of heart-breaking and uplifting stories about refugees resettling from their war-torn countries to Lincoln NE, an unlikely location but increasingly "the middle of everywhere". This book as functioned as a touchstone and guide in my own interactions with the refugee population in Fargo. I lifted a phrase to start my own manuscript; refugees, Pipher tells us, move "from fire to fire". Life in America comes with its own tremendous challenges and risks. She also taught me "that giving never makes one poorer;" a aphorism that has proven true to me over and over again. She has taught me, with a little help from John Dau, that "I can do more."
**spoiler alert** Mahjoub’s first three novels, Caroline A Mohsen points out, “emulate the turmoil and uncertainty of Sudan” (541). In Navigation of ...more**spoiler alert** Mahjoub’s first three novels, Caroline A Mohsen points out, “emulate the turmoil and uncertainty of Sudan” (541). In Navigation of a Rainmaker, the main character, Tanner, is a lost soul, part Arab Sudanese, part British, who finally asserts himself by killing a mercenary-type American who has come to Sudan in the early 1980s to stimulate instability, rather than work towards peace. The American's moment of revelation is a powerful statement of neo-colonial goals in Africa: “I am here to instill confusion, to sow the seeds of discontent” (168). He taunts Tanner, “you’re not the type to act” (169). Faced with roughly the same challenge as the narrator of Season—to act or not to act—Tanner kills the American but is wounded in the skirmish. His last thoughts before dying turn to his sense of purpose—he wants to know if he made a difference, if anyone noticed (183-84). But the novel makes it clear that Tanner’s actions were too late, and that the cycles of violence will continue. The novel is prophetically dark, written during the first few years of what would become a 22-year civil war. (less)
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