From one of the world's greatest humanitarian activists comes a searing personal memoir that is also an urgent call to confront suffering in all its many forms.

Having seen things we hope never to see, confronted suffering, dispassion, and evil we hope never to encounter, James Orbinski still believes in "the good we can be if we so choose." Recounting stories from his own experience, embodied in which are warnings, hope, and lessons in how we can inject humanitarian activity into our lives, "An Imperfect Offering "is invaluable reading for anyone who feels he or she can make a difference.

Reviews

As both a frontline caregiver and past president of Doctors Without Borders, Orbinski has led humanitarian efforts to aid and treat victims of some of the most harrowing events of the last few decades. Here he recounts his time as a doctor in famine-stricken Somalia and the seemingly futile medical aid attempts during the Rwandan genocide. Rounding out these accounts of humanitarianism in the face of insurmountable suffering are stories of his work in Peru, Afghanistan, and Russia and of his efforts to bring humanitarian concerns to the global political scene. On its surface, Orbinski's personal narrative is a chronicle of humanitarian efforts at the turn of the 21st century. Yet in retelling his life's work, Orbinski asks two much larger questions: "How am I to be?" and "How are we to be in relation to the suffering of others?" It is an underlying but persistent call to action that makes this work more than just a memoir. Orbinski seamlessly blends the personal with the political, offering his own experiences within the context of the more powerful global forces at work. In this revealing personal narrative, he has taken humanitarianism from its apolitical, reactive sphere to one in which it is an active enterprise where individuals and organizations shape the world we live in. Recommended for public and academic libraries and essential reading for anyone who considers him- or herself a global citizen.-Veronica Arellano, Univ. of Houston Libs. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

In this captivating look at humanitarian intervention in the 20th century, Orbinski, former head of the NGO MEdecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), uses stories from his decades of service with the group to examine "how to be in relation with the suffering of others." The author describes his time on the front lines of suffering in Russia, Somalia and Afghanistan. When Orbinski recounts his second term in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, the book reaches an emotional peak: it was his "undoing," and struggling with the horror he has seen, he drifts into a "netherworld of confusion," fighting to regain his "footing as a man, as a doctor and as a putative humanitarian." His ensuing reflections on humanitarianism are as riveting as his personal thoughts, which include diary entries, recollections and correspondence with friends in the humanitarian and diplomatic corps. The book manages to be both personal enough to construe the human toll of political and social disasters without falling into the trap of maudlin, patronizing depictions of human suffering. Orbinski, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for MEdecins Sans Frontieres in 1999 does credit to his organization and his humanitarian credo. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

“The cataclysm of butchery that engulfed far too many places and took far too many lives began after the fall of communism…Orbinski reminds us of exactly what our victory in the C old War wrought.”—"San Francisco Chronicle"

“With vivid personal anecdote, Orbinski chronicles the struggle around humanitarian intervention in one hotspot after another across the planet. In a narrative of grace and power, he displays the intense components of his remarkable life: integrity, compassion and principle. He is undaunted in the face of the worst the world has to offer. He is determined to salve the wounds of humankind. He is a truly committed man, mind and soul throbbing with incandescent decency.” — Stephen Lewis, Former UN Special Envoy

“James Orbinski has lived for years in the middle of the worst that humans can be, and somehow emerged with both his compassion and his desire to understand us intact. He is a marvellous storyteller, and the st