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“Enter the ‘highly politicized and ruthless world of a major humanitarian operation; for a roller-coaster of a read. Tom Bamforth begins in Pakistan. It’s 2005 and an earthquake has killed 83,000 people and left three million homeless. He abandons a trekking holiday to offer assistance. Next come humanitarian missions in Darfur, the Philippines, and the Pacific. Bamforth is a savvy and sagacious guide, explaining in depth the complexities that underpin and undermine efforts to stabilize countries experiencing state collapse, natural disasters or conflict.
“He’s also one hell of a storyteller and wordsmith: astute, descriptive, ironic, funny and philosophical. As Australian argue over the reductive logic of ‘Stopping the Boats’, Bamforth illuminates the intricacies and entanglements of history, politics and self-interest and introduces us to the eccentrics who keep ploughing through it all for a better world. Verdict: Astonishing"
Herald Sun
“It reads as if Don Delillo had been sent to Darfur”
John Freeman, Granta