The Voice of Witness Reader: Ten Years of Amplifying Unheard Voices

by Dave Eggers (Editor)

For ten years, Voice of Witness has illuminated contemporary human rights crises through its remarkable oral history book series. Founded by Dave Eggers, Lola Vollen and Mimi Lok, Voice of Witness has amplified the stories of hundreds of people impacted by some of the most crucial human rights crises of our time, including men and women living under oppressive regimes in Burma, Colombia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe; public housing residents and undocumented workers in the United States; and exploited workers around the globe. This selection of narratives from these remarkable men and women is many an astonishing record of human rights issues in the 21st century; a testament to the resilience and courage of the most marginalized among us; and an opportunity to better the understand the world we live in through human connection and a participatory vision of history.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is important, good-for-you reading and a vital collection of topical oral histories. This particular collection is essentially a greatest hits collection from their topic-specific collections. As such, it probably lacks the cohesion and power of the topic-specific collections; on the other hand, the other collections may be mired with less fascinating histories amongst the standouts. In any case, this is the sort of journalism that makes you think and makes you angry, sad, and uplifted by resiliency of people. Leans left, so I definitely recommend for those right of center. The topic-specific collections focus on such topics as exonerated convicts and women prisons; refugees and immigrants; political hot spots such as Burma, Sudan, and Palestine; public housing in Chicago; and post-9/11 prejudices.