Touched By Fire : Doctors Without Borders in a Third World Crisis

Rating:
Summary: The clearest explanation of "why" aid workers do it.
Review: Of all the texts I have read concerning Africa and its political/economic problems, this is the best contribution to understanding the motivations of those involved in providing humanitarian assistance. It represents ultimately a message of hope which counters the many pessimistic texts covering this area. The hope is neither misplaced or naive, but is a product of a level of understanding on the part of the authors rarely grasped I think by similar authors. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Level Appraisal
Review: The criticisms I can aim at this book are few: there's some needless reiteration of points made early on and some loss of context in the wash of events described. Both are stylistic and really just matters of taste.

Knowing only what an outsider can glean about MSF, this seems a wholly objective, balanced assessment of the group(s), its membership(s) and the circumstances, compromises, and pervasive questions attendant to both. The very real limitations and dangers of international aid are presented frankly, as is the selfless dedication of the MSF staff. Individuals are not squeezed into comfortable categories; the complexities, even the occasional flashes of swagger or ugliness, of each participant are served up with relative detachment.

As an introduction to the politics and human costs of genocide (admittedly from a singular, but coherent political perspective), it's hard to beat.

The photographs, which portray a parallel narrative, are likewise honest, and both stories are rendered with sufficient feeling expose what is truly uplifting about MSF.