Customer Reviews

Another Day in Paradise: International Humanitarian Workers Tell Their Stories

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The personal essays of aid workers compiled by Bergman are profiles of ordinary people doing the extraordinary. Each essay reveals a unique writing style and personality. The one common thread that they share is a strong willingness to serve humanity; hence, they're humanitarians.

The compilation consists of 15 essays. None of the locations would be paradise because the hell-holes span the globe to wherever there are wars, the aftermath of wars, conflicts, and natural disasters. Personally, I'm pleased to read about some of those aid organizations that I support.

Here are a few of the more memorable pieces:

Camp-bo-dia by Dr. Panayotis Ellinas, a doctor serving the many needs of Cambodians in a Thai refugee camp. Dr. Ellinas grew up on Cyprus where he witnessed "napalm bombs, death, destruction, and occupation. A scene with pained faces comes back to me often...This is what led me to my vocation." More than empathy, more than compassion; the doctor has great respect for his patients and colleagues.

The House of Prayer and Peace written by Sister Theresa Baldini underscores a strong commitment of caring. Sister Theresa, who in 2002 was 63 years old, and Sister Madeline, age 79, have served in Sudan since 1986. The two Maryknoll nuns have endured not only continuous aerial bombings, several bouts of malaria, and countless rats; but also an austere diet of lentils, peanut butter and crackers, and cabbage. And there's no mention of burn-out!

My Bodyguard is a poignant account by Patrick Dillon of his 10 year old Somalian bodyguard, Muhammad Ali. I'll connect with young Ali whenever I use my Swiss Army Knife. (You'll need to read this essay to know why.)

Paul Heslop's Letters Home is full of grit and humour as he describes his daily routine of defusing mines in Angola.

Overall, each story provides great insight, something more than what could be read in official agency newsletters.

I've read this book countless times now. It gives such a wonderful insight into the real lives of these workers who are on the frontlines day in and day out. The stories are very well written and truly paint a picture of the events taking place around these workers.
If you've ever thought (or dreamed!) of doing humanitarian work, especially overseas, this book is a must-read. It will open your eyes to the real world not the media's glossed over view of it.
Enjoy!

Another Day in Paradise had the potential to be an incredible book. It covers a fascinating topic involving danger, selflessness, and distant lands. Unfortunately the "author" (compiler and editor) of this book chose to take 15 disconnected accounts from humanitarian workers and randomly inserted them into this collection. Some of the contributors are quite captivating with their description while others are less than exciting. The result is a disjointed book that reads like 15 successive magazine articles written for 15 different publications.

It's hard not to feel that the editor of this book contributed nothing to this project short of attempting to profit at other people's humanitarian efforts and writing. Worse still, in the Afterword goes on to describe what a living hell her life has been as a result of this book:

"Friends and family were concerned that I was so immersed in the hardships of wars and disasters that I could no longer enjoy life. And, in some sense, this was true;"

Wow, what a martyr! Having other people risk their lives as humanitarians and write about it for your book sure is tough work.

Of the 7 books I recently bought, this was the first one I picked up to read because it seemed like it would have the most potential. Unfortunately it was quite a disappointment.

Sometimes reality 'sucks' but it is always 'real' and one can always learn from it....read this.