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50 reviews for:
Emergency Sex: And Other Desperate Measures
Heidi Postlewait, Andrew Thomson, Kenneth Cain
3.94 AVERAGE
50 reviews for:
Emergency Sex: And Other Desperate Measures
Heidi Postlewait, Andrew Thomson, Kenneth Cain
3.94 AVERAGE
the peacekeeper's bible is a must for anyone wishing to work in peacekeeping or in war-torn areas.
I came across this book after seeing one of the authors interviewed on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. This was a gripping story, and I'm fascinated with the situations that international aid workers find themselves in. The adrenaline high of saving lives and trying to make a difference comes crashing to earth when faced with the outrageous corruption of governments, and the inherent uselessness of the U.N. I struggled to relate to the female author in parts, as some of her decisions were ones I just couldn't get my head around. Having said that, who can claim rationality in those environments, particularly when love is involved? This is a book I strongly recommend.
Don't let the title fool you... Raw accounts from three young people who set out to saved the world but got to question themselves, their work, governments and even their faith. A good read for anyone interested in humanitarian work.
This book is insanely funny yet at same time is incredibly interesting culturally, politically and historically. I work in the INGO sector so find it inspiring but this book would be for anyone who loves a bit of international politics, enjoys a funny cultural tale and a colloquial yet still well written book
Incredible book of nations/societies at their worst, and individuals at their best. Makes for a roller-coaster ride of a read, and inspires you to make a difference.
I'm about 2/3 of the way through. I can't say I like the authors a whole lot, but I will keep reading because I don't know much (or anything) about the conflicts they witnessed during their time with the UN. I DO like the way it's written: going from one voice to another to read their personal experiences.
Finished. The trio got a little less annoying. The stories got sadder. What are we doing?! How can people be so cruel? The young idealistic kids that join organizations to help are chewed up and spit out while nothing changes. It would be so easy to lose all hope: it's all about money, always about money (and resources. same thing). Power. And civilians are just fodder.
It makes me so mad and sad. I think I should be part of the solution, but how? Nothing has worked so far. People seem intent on murder/rape/torture.
12/23/2018 - I forgot I read this! Back to the library it goes... I don't even want to think about what it means that the first few pages weren't familiar at all. Read and flush apparently.
Finished. The trio got a little less annoying. The stories got sadder. What are we doing?! How can people be so cruel? The young idealistic kids that join organizations to help are chewed up and spit out while nothing changes. It would be so easy to lose all hope: it's all about money, always about money (and resources. same thing). Power. And civilians are just fodder.
It makes me so mad and sad. I think I should be part of the solution, but how? Nothing has worked so far. People seem intent on murder/rape/torture.
12/23/2018 - I forgot I read this! Back to the library it goes... I don't even want to think about what it means that the first few pages weren't familiar at all. Read and flush apparently.
I found this story to be rather depressing, but at the same time I was so glad that they actually wrote about their experiences - yes, it's non-fiction! This book actually made me rethink the way I have always felt about war and peace and all of the above, which is no mean feat. I have always been staunchly against bombing the shit out of cities just to get at some bad guys...but having read this book, I am now thinking it probably would have been preferable for the US to do just that instead of turning tail and running, and letting millions of civilians be chopped to bits as a result. Of course, if snipers can be used, that would be my preference. ;) But anyway...I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
An incredible tale of three intertwined lives played out on a backdrop of bureaucratic and political chaos. This book was awesome!
Ken, Heidi and Andrew have lived the lives that so many lie awake dreaming about. Saving lives in a Cambodian hospital, briefing international tribunals on war crimes, directing traffic through war zones, working in the name of peace, justice and democracy.
But is it all that its cracked up to be?
I'm sure none of them would trade their experiences for anything, but that's not to say it was as it should be. Bureaucratic hang-ups, unnecessary deaths, social and political turmoil, separation, sadness, despair and regret. Fighting the good fight ain't easy. Especially when you're not sure if who you're fighting for stands for what you're fighting for.
This book flies forward at in incredible pace, grabbing the reader and launching him along in the passenger seat of a white Toyota Land Cruiser. The writing is incredibly personal, captivating and candid. The characters are real. So are their stories.
Great book!
Ken, Heidi and Andrew have lived the lives that so many lie awake dreaming about. Saving lives in a Cambodian hospital, briefing international tribunals on war crimes, directing traffic through war zones, working in the name of peace, justice and democracy.
But is it all that its cracked up to be?
I'm sure none of them would trade their experiences for anything, but that's not to say it was as it should be. Bureaucratic hang-ups, unnecessary deaths, social and political turmoil, separation, sadness, despair and regret. Fighting the good fight ain't easy. Especially when you're not sure if who you're fighting for stands for what you're fighting for.
This book flies forward at in incredible pace, grabbing the reader and launching him along in the passenger seat of a white Toyota Land Cruiser. The writing is incredibly personal, captivating and candid. The characters are real. So are their stories.
Great book!
I have profoundly mixed feelings on this book, which documents its three authors' experiences as United Nations peacekeepers in the 1990s. They initially meet while stationed together in Cambodia, but ultimately travel on to Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Rwanda, sometimes reconnecting but largely stuck apart. The situations they encounter in these far-flung areas are eye-opening and awful, including graphically-detailed accounts of rape, torture, slaughter, cannibalism, and similar war crimes. It's a horribly educational read, and I appreciate the growing critical perspective that the armchair leaders back home in Washington and New York are out-of-touch with the daily horrors of conditions on the ground.
I just wish I could like the writers better. They do grow somewhat more appealing over time as the various events around them deteriorate, but two of them are very frustrating in the early pages. Heidi Postlewait repeatedly offers fatphobic asides, casually drops the r-word, and generally seems focused on her sex life and the low cost of living abroad over any humanitarian mission at hand. Kenneth Cain objectifies her and every other woman he comes across, and is petulantly melodramatic about not knowing exactly what he wants to do now that he's graduated Harvard Law School. Only Dr. Andrew Thomson appears mature and compelling right from the start as he seeks to uncover forensic evidence of cruelty and heal its many victims, yet his passages are sadly outnumbered by the antics of the two junior members of the team.
It's hard to know what to do with a title like that overall. The later chapters are excellent if a bit stomach-churning -- again, major content warning for gore, violence, and dead bodies -- but I likely would have put the thing down well before that point had it not been picked out for me by a generous Patreon donor. I previously knew little of the geopolitics of the era or these particular crises, so I'm grateful for the firsthand view provided herein. But memoir as a genre relies on an engaging authorial voice as much as interesting circumstances, and I'm not convinced this one totally gets there for me.
[I checked out this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke !]
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I just wish I could like the writers better. They do grow somewhat more appealing over time as the various events around them deteriorate, but two of them are very frustrating in the early pages. Heidi Postlewait repeatedly offers fatphobic asides, casually drops the r-word, and generally seems focused on her sex life and the low cost of living abroad over any humanitarian mission at hand. Kenneth Cain objectifies her and every other woman he comes across, and is petulantly melodramatic about not knowing exactly what he wants to do now that he's graduated Harvard Law School. Only Dr. Andrew Thomson appears mature and compelling right from the start as he seeks to uncover forensic evidence of cruelty and heal its many victims, yet his passages are sadly outnumbered by the antics of the two junior members of the team.
It's hard to know what to do with a title like that overall. The later chapters are excellent if a bit stomach-churning -- again, major content warning for gore, violence, and dead bodies -- but I likely would have put the thing down well before that point had it not been picked out for me by a generous Patreon donor. I previously knew little of the geopolitics of the era or these particular crises, so I'm grateful for the firsthand view provided herein. But memoir as a genre relies on an engaging authorial voice as much as interesting circumstances, and I'm not convinced this one totally gets there for me.
[I checked out this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke !]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter