An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action for the Twenty-First Century Paperback – September 29, 2009

Orbinski's stories about his career with Doctors Without Borders (aka Medicins Sans Frontieres) takes us to various trouble spots ranging from South America to Afghanistan and Ethiopia and he makes a courageous effort to help those affected by war and famine. Much of the book deals with the African nation of Rwanda, during the genocide of 1994 in which he witnessed unbelievable atrocities as a million people were slaughtered in a 100 days while the world basically did little more than look on. The United Nations actually reduced its commitment during the worst of the killings and managed to save only a handful of lives. The book does not flinch from describing terrible and unbelievably cruel acts but it is an important book to read - afterall the atrocities in Rwanda could be repeated again in a continent noted for less than competent governments, poor economic management and terrible acts of violence.

While I found Obiniski's experiences and observations to be first-rate, I was downright angry about the incredibly sloppy proof-reading of this book. There were error on every page, and I don't mean little persnickety ones. How a publisher could allow the egregious mistakes to remain is beyond me. For example: FAR was used as an acronym (Fellowship for African Relief) early in the book; thereafter, every time the word far appeared it was capitalized: "they were FAR away," "we saw FAR too many errors," etc. Frequently acronyms were capitalized appropriately for awhile and then appeared in non-caps for awhile and then suddenly would reappear in caps.The mistakes were so numerous, blatant, and aggravating that I nearly stopped reading the book. Only Orbinski's talent and wisdom kept me turning the pages.

All students should read this book. So many dying that theres hardly anyone to dispose the bodies. What happens to the bodies? Stray dogs. Reminds me of the show the walking dead in some ways. I think most of the world is ignorant about what a real struggle is and how important it is that as our technology gets better our humanity should exceed or keep the same pace.

James Orbinski addresses the complex problem of suffering and why it occurs while struggling with his direct role in minimizing human suffering while working with MSF. His humility and elegance along with brutal honesty and raw emotion were gripping and empowering. After reading, some of my questions regarding NGOs roles and the nature of suffering were answered, but these were replaced with perhaps more questions about the amazing human nature and my role in contributing to and helping to diminish human suffering. Read this if you want to be left pondering for a long while.

Can't wait to read this book! It was recommended to me due to my interests in humanitarian affairs. So I'm looking forward to this!

An amazing, horrifying, beautiful, and inspiring read. For those of us who want to truly throw their lives into humanitarian work, this is a must read. If you still want to work for MSF after reading this, then hopefully I'll see you over there. Many of us are taught about international conflicts through our schools, parents, and/or media. This is from someone who was on the ground.Disclaimer: You may want to skip over the Rwanda Genocide Chapter if you can't handle truly graphic information.

I've been a contributer to Doctors Without Borders for several years. I've found they are already in place--or close by--when a disaster strikes and are in action immediately. This is written by a doctor who tells what life is like to be in these situations. It can be moving or frustrating, depending on where he is at any given time. I am in awe of those who would and do work in this organization.

It's hard to put down this book, as it describes some of the most desperate humanitarian crises in recent history. Orbinsky tells how he was able to make a difference with his work. Please read this book and donate to Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, Oxfam and other humanitarian groups. This book will help you see how much you want to help others.

This is one of those books that should be a must-read for all of those studying and aspiring to become humanitarians. James’ experiences and input will most definitely have an impact on you and will hopefully inspire you even more to make difference in the world.

The book brings the reader along a man's journey from noble-hearted naivety, to deep sorrows, fear, rage, and despair in the face of some of the most gruesome crimes that humans could impose on to fellow humans, where the author himself narrowly escaped numerous death calls. Conceivably each story, each random encounter, each life that he saved and could not save, each image, sound and smell, brought his own existence into a deep hollow of inconsolable loneliness and heart of darkness. How can one trust anything after all that? Through recounting in excruciating details his own stories and those of others, in a sense, he somehow pulled his shattered self together like in meditation.I wonder how many people would bother to read these stories, and even if they did, what real impact could these stories possibly have on a population largely complacently content with their comfortable shallow existence? Probably nothing! As what an Irish war journalist Lizzie Phelan bravely pointed out in the midst of NATO's bombings of Libyan infrastructure and civilian housings in 2011 in the name of 'Responsibility to Protect,' our silent complicity in our government's actions revealed 'a deep understanding that our way of living depends on the massacre, rape, and looting of the Global South.'Perhaps whether or not having any material impact is in fact immaterial to James Orbinski. Through telling these stories, he gives a name, a face, or some shape or form to the countless victims of wars and injustices in human history. And if his honest writing stirs up, in at least one reader, the same tears, grief, and rage, then perhaps the victims are not all alone, and not all efforts and persistence from James and his fellow staff in fighting against cruel injustices are wasted.

Inspiring and upsetting book that helps to provide a historical context to certain conflict zones. I am half way through and can't stop.

The exquisite detail is jarring to read, sometimes I could feel my stomach tightening when he describes rape victims and blood in the Rwandan genocide. I dont know... this was eye opening fragility of the human condition.Especially with MSF and Somali clanwarfare.

Having worked as a nurse advisor to a group of nationals who ran a health and social justice program in Central America in the 1970s, I read this book with much interest. My experiences, mostly positive, were nothing like those of Dr. Orbinski of Doctors Without Borders who worked in war-ravaged areas of the world, and was confronted by the worst that people can do to each other. Add to the savagery on the ground the complicity of national governments plus the indifference of aid agencies and foreign governments, and you have a witches' brew of unparalleled suffering for huge swathes of people. It was beyond me at some points in the book how any Doctors Without Borders staff could keep on working day after day, caring for victims of such atrocities and coming under fire themselves.Alongside descriptions of conditions on the ground. Dr. Orbinski ceaselessly advocated for more aid and protection for the populations he served. He never stopped caring passionately for those he served, nor confronting those with the power to help but who did nothing. He mentions Romeo Dallaire whom he worked alongside in Rwanda, and their mutual frustration and rage about the dereliction of the UN in getting help in when it was direly needed.Just before reading Orbinski's book, I read The Aid Caravan in which Linda Polman excoriates aid profiteers and aid providers with agendas. They are a good duo to read together. Polman pulls the curtain back from the proliferation of aid agencies and exposes the consequences of their works. Orbinski takes the reader into the killing fields, where whether the aid gets there or not, dedicated staff like him, in all the worst places in the world, quietly and selflessly uphold the finest ideals of their professions.