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 enlarge | Author: Daoud Hari
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy New: $11.50
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New (32) Used (15) Collectible (1) from $8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 27821
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 1400067448
Dewey Decimal Number: 962.4043092
EAN: 9781400067442
ASIN: 1400067448
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Small Voice, Powerful Message... July 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. I was dreading the horrible stories, the Rwanda-like massacres, the neverending awfulness that would make me want to weep if I wasn't so numb from hearing it all day every day from the CNN loop. At some point the numbers get so large, it's impossible for to comprehend and I just shut down. I really didn't want to read it. But I'm tremendously glad that I did.
Part war memoir, part genocidal survival guide, part humanitarian challenge, Daoud Hari's slim book is a triumph. I have no idea how one can endure what he has endured and still remain so human, let alone exhibit the tremendous spirit Hari shows here. Along with the horror stories I was dreading so much (ashamed as I am to say that), are the testimonies to our individual and collective strength as human beings. Over and over again, Hari challenges us to put ourselves in his shoes, to relate as if it were our town, our home, our sisters, daughters, fathers, cousins. What if it happened to us? Would we be so brave? Would we be destroyed or keep going? Would we do everything we could knowing we could die in the next minute? Would we rage at God or renew our faith?
My favorite chapter is a small one. Nestled in tiny Chapter 10, Hari describes the refugee camps in detail for the first time, a sea of bright colored fabrics from the clothing and makeshift decorating of the women and girls, all sweltering amid the temporary shelters made out of canvas and plastic tarps. And there it is. "Canvas and plastic make very hot shelters in a desert, and these were what the world had sent - exactly the wrong thing and not nearly enough of it." I couldn't believe it. It's so obvious! What were we thinking? What had we done? Did we just send scraps of material we didn't need? Was it intentionally ridiculous or just some horribly embarrassing mistake? There's no way of knowing, but it again drove home the point that paying attention to the details of life's necessities can make the largest difference. If just one of the brilliant architects competing to build the next mall in Dubai would instead focus their energy on building practical, portable, sustainable refugee housing that could be deployed at a moment's notice anywhere from Darfur to Palestine, we could start to alleviate the suffering of millions of the displaced.
For those that have suffered so much, the least we can do is shine a spotlight on their stories. I'm ashamed for delaying my reading; I'm trying to make up for it by telling everyone I can about Hari's book and, by engaging in meaningful dialogue about the crisis in Darfur, determining if there's maybe one more thing I might do to help.
 Survival in a Tragedy July 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
How does anyone survive? Nothing is hospitable neither the inhumane climate nor the "human" society.
Daoud had a short adult life before this war. He got an education and saw some of the world through restaurant work. He spent some time in the prison systems which was merely prologue for what was to come.
Most teenage males are recruited by one army or another, and they join for a meal. For those with skills like driving, mechanics or languages, choices are more complex. They can join an army, a government, an aid organization or the press... but the end result is most likely the same.
When you think of the combination of skill, luck and outside intervention that resulted in Daoud's survival, you have to mourn for all the others. What is the best probable future for the 14 year old soldiers he encounters or the 2+ million people in the refugee camps? What changes and what resources are needed to give this large a population a shot at a decent life?
This book is a fast read, but before you start, its best to read the synopsis of this war at the end of the book. It's only a sketch, but a starting point to understand the no-win situation the people of this region are in.
Another Rwanda June 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Daoud Hari is indeed a blessed man to have survived capture and imprisonment- risking his life to tell the world of the human tragedy called Darfur. This book speaks volumes of his profound courage and of the brave reporters and others who ventured right into the line of fire so that the world will know. The heartbreaking descriptions of the carnage is hard to read at times, but I am most haunted by the child sitting in the grass who stopped crying and waved goodbye as Daoud and the news crew had to run for their lives. This is one man's tale of survival on a tragic journey and his willingness to fight injustice. He is blessed because there are those who must survive to tell the world. We can each make a difference.
The Translator June 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just finished reading Hari's memoir, having read "The Kite Runner", similar yet different. Hari's exposure of the atrocities in Darfur and neighboring regions is gripping and informative. His story of escape, tenacity, and faith is compelling in that it defines and redefines what it means to be human. He uses the notion of being HUMAN to plead his case, refocus country-men fighting against their own, and admonish readers to support present day initiatives in place for Darfur. Congratulations, Daoud! Keep living and keep writing.
A nicely done personal history of a large, sad tale June 2, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Unfortunately, the only thing that 99.999% of the world associates with the word "Darfur" is death, hate and tragedy. Daoud Hari's small memoir reminds the reader that Darfur was once home to millions - a place of family, friend, play and work.
That is the strongest asset of this short work - it puts a human face on a large tragedy. Written in simple, elegant English and with a wry sense of humor ("Most people like me, are tall - I am six feet - and are also a little thin because of all the walking, the hard work and the dieting that is one of the many advantages of poverty."[p. 108]), this book is an extension of Hari's way of fighting back against the forces that are destroying Darfur. Rather than taking up arms, Hari decided to expose Darfur to the world by escorting journalists from Chad into Darfur in Sudan.
This was not a choice for the faint of heart. Journalists and their guides were considered to be spies by the government of Sudan. Hari and his journalists were exposed to gunfire, captured multiple times and eventually one group was captured, tortured and eventually released through the efforts of former presidential candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
Before reading the book, I suggest reading "Appendix 1: A Darfur Primer" at the end of the text. It helps give his story some context.
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