Reflections from the Scorched Earth
A Witness from some of the World’s toughest War Zones
by Ed Walker
Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher:Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson
Published:2007
ISBN:978-1-854-24833-6
GoodBookStall Review:
This book arrived as I was regularly following the news bulletins about the situation in Kenya following the disturbances after the elections, and worrying about a relative working for CAFOD in Nairobi. Did I really want to read more about a situation I found disturbing? In a feature about Ed Walker, in the "Church Times" on 4 January 2008, Ed Walker stated " A lot of missionary books have been written and I find them rather tame. I just hope I am able to convey an enthusiasm and respect for the people of Africa". As the longest-serving overseas member of Tearfund's Disaster Management Team, Ed has certainly achieved this in the book, with telling reflections on working in five war zones and a drought-stricken area.
Reviewer: Carole Burrows (12/03/08)
This book arrived as I was regularly following the news bulletins about the situation in Kenya following the disturbances after the elections, and worrying about a relative working for CAFOD in Nairobi. Did I really want to read more about a situation I found disturbing? In a feature about Ed Walker, in the "Church Times" on 4 January 2008, Ed Walker stated " A lot of missionary books have been written and I find them rather tame. I just hope I am able to convey an enthusiasm and respect for the people of Africa". As the longest-serving overseas member of Tearfund's Disaster Management Team, Ed has certainly achieved this in the book, with telling reflections on working in five war zones and a drought-stricken area.
Reviewer: Carole Burrows (12/03/08)
| Reader review: - George Taylor, TGBS Reviewer It seems that today, almost every television news or daily paper details some new disaster in Africa. Droughts, civil wars, starvation, all regularly appear and although many of the reports and images are moving, they often fail to bring home the personal stories of both the people involved and the aid workers who are desperate to help them. Ed Walker was a long standing member of the Tearfund Disaster Response Team and spent years working in some of the most difficult aid situations in the world, Darfur, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Burundi and Rwanda amongst them. In this book he tells the story of his daily life , the ups and downs, the triumphs and disasters, and brings to life the reality of working to help in situations most of us would find impossible. His dedication, humour and faith allowed him to face the personal doubts and massive pressures he had to face supported by his family. This is a moving and thought provoking book which adds much to the bare outlines the news reports provide. |
