NEW hardcover

An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the TwentyFirst Century Orbinski, James

From one of the worlds greatest humanitarian activists comes a searing personal memoir that is also an urgent call to confront suffering in all its many formsHaving seen things we hope never to see, confronted suffering and dispassion and evil we hope never to encounter, and faced deep personal torment, James Orbinski still believes in the good we can be if we so choose His chosen medium for revealing this is stories from his own experiencea doctors indelible testimony from the front lines in Peru, Somalia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Zaireembodied in which are warnings, hope, and lessons in how we can inject humanitarian activity into our lives Being political, he has discovered, is not only reserved for politicians; admitting imperfection is essential to compassion With an eye for detail like that of the finest journalist and the empathy of the most committed doctor, Orbinskis powerful voice is matched by the urgency of his message At a time of great political and moral uncertainty, An Imperfect Offering is invaluable reading for anyone who wants to make a differenceExcerpt:This book is a series of stories in which I ask, again and again, how to be in relation to the suffering of others It is a personal narrative about the political journey I have taken over the last twenty years as a humanitarian doctor, as a citizen, and as a man It is about the mutuality that can exist between us, if we so choose I have come to see humanitarianism not as separate from politics, but in relation to it, and as a challenge to political choices that too often kill or allow others to be killed At its best, politics is an imperfect human project It is at its worst when we delude ourselves into thinking it can be perfect Speaking is the first political act It is the first act of liberty, and it always implicitly involves another In speaking, one inherently recognizes that I am and I am not alone In this space lies our humanity a composite from chapter 1