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The Disaster Gypsies Humanitarian Workers in the World's Deadliest Conflicts
John Norris
Book Code: C9365
ISBN: 0-275-99365-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99365-8
184 pages, 5 maps
Praeger Security International General Interest-Cloth
Publication: 4/30/2007
List Price: $44.95 (UK Sterling Price: £25.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Related Web Pages: Reviews:
  • Norris, a senior political adviser with the United Nations Mission in Nepal, begins his analysis of world disaster areas with personal notes on his career choice of the "disaster industry." He then describes his work with relief teams in Rwanda, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan-Pakistan, and Liberia, which provide insights into these situations. In conclusion, he reflects on why he remains optimistic despite the grim realities.
    —Reference & Research Book News     August 2007
  • [I]f you are interested in the intricacies of aid work in some of the world's nastiest conflicts, you'll find Norris' book surprisingly engaging for such a tough subject.
    —Reuters AlertNet     June 8, 2007
  • Endorsement From Samantha Power,
    Pulitzer Prize winning author of A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide:     John Norris is the rare individual who has worked on all sides of the front lines. He has done so both as a U.S. government in-house emergency responder and, more recently, as an influential, roving critic of U.S. foreign policy. But what makes Norris truly rare is that he is both a doer--a dispenser of food aid, a demobilizer of soldiers, a negotiator of life-altering deals--and he is a writer. Disaster Gypsies is a highly readable tour of the sights, scares, and moral tradeoffs that Norris encountered in the earth's most troubled places. With a meticulous eye for detail, he offers a kind of 'biography of a humanitarian,' casting insight on democracy promotion and nation building at a time when we desperately need his hard-won wisdom.
Description: Chatting with notorious war criminal Charles Taylor on the lawn of his presidential mansion as ostriches and armed teenagers strut in the background. Landing in snow-covered Afghanistan weeks after the fall of the Taliban and trying to make sense of a country shattered by years of war. Being held at gunpoint by young soldiers amid the tragedy of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Standing in the middle of a violent riot in the streets of Kathmandu. Having hushed conversations with the widows of Europe's largest massacre since World War II. These are all scenes from The Disaster Gypsies, a compelling personal memoir by a relief worker and conflict specialist who has worked on the ground in a host of war-torn countries. Initially deployed as part of a humanitarian relief team in Rwanda almost by accident, Norris has experienced the tragedies of Rwanda, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Liberia over a span of ten years. Rich with poignant human stories, The Disaster Gypsies captures the reality of modern war with an immediacy and compassion that puts the reader in the front seat for some of the most wrenching events of our times.
Norris approaches his story with a unique and dynamic perspective, having worked both in the upper echelons of the U.S. government and in some of the world's most dangerous places. Moving from face-to-face encounters with powerful warlords to quiet moments with the victims of horrific violence, Norris gives readers a behind-the-scenes tour of a world most of them can barely imagine. He makes a compelling argument that these nasty civil wars were often dismissed as tribal, ethnic, or regional disputes by most Americans, when in reality such violence is fundamentally part of the human condition. That may sound simple or even self-evident, but Norris contends that most people in the United States and Europe continue to view war as something that is outside of themselves and profoundly foreign in its nature, even as their own troops continue to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
LC Card Number: 2006038817
LCC Class: HV553
Dewey Class: 363
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