If God must break your leg He will at least teach you to limp - so it is said in Africa. This book is my poor limping - a modest account that cannot tell every story that deserves telling. I have seen and heard many things in Darfur that have broken my heart. I bring the stories to you because I know most people want others to have good lives and, when they understand the situation, they will do what they can to bend the world back toward kindness. This is when human beings, I believe, are most admirable. The young life of ...
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If God must break your leg He will at least teach you to limp - so it is said in Africa. This book is my poor limping - a modest account that cannot tell every story that deserves telling. I have seen and heard many things in Darfur that have broken my heart. I bring the stories to you because I know most people want others to have good lives and, when they understand the situation, they will do what they can to bend the world back toward kindness. This is when human beings, I believe, are most admirable. The young life of Daoud Hari - his friends call him David - has been one of bravery and mesmerizing adventure. As a translator and the guide of choice to media, the US Embassy, and the United Nations, Hari became a vital link to the outside world, a living witness to the brutal genocide underway in Darfur. Most of the reporting on the great tragedies of our day has been written by journalists, and after-the-fact. Rarely, in a conflict of this magnitude, has there been an eyewitness voice to the events as they are still happening. Daoud Hari is that voice. The Translator is a suspenseful, harrowing and deeply moving memoir of how one person can make a difference in the world - an on-the-ground account of one of the biggest stories of our time.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.
Daoud Hari's memoir of his experiences as a native of and translator in Darfur help to put a name, a face, and a personal history onto a story that lingers on the back pages of American newspapers. I really don't understand why the US and the rest of the world hasn't taken stronger measures to put a stop to the horrific genocide taking place. Hari does not try to explain, at least not to any extent, but relies on his simple but moving story to move his readers to action. He speaks lovingly of a gentle people trying to eke out a living in their harsh but beloved homeland--a description that makes the horrible events that have taken place in Darfur all the more devastating.
My only criticisms of the book are:
1) I would have appreciated the inclusion of a map. It would have helped me to visualize where Daoud moved and the geographic relationships among the various groups mentioned in the book.
2) The writing might have been tighter--but this may be a problem of translation or of editing. There was quite a bit of circling back to the same moments, and I don't think that was done intentionally for impact.
But overall, a moving and significant book that I hope more people will read.
