Many of us in the U.S. have traveled to foreign countries feeling that we had something to offer them. I did so myself, as a missionary, for years. This book has made me contemplate this decision. Why did I do it? Was it truly for them or deep down inside was it for me? Did it do them any good for me to try to be their hero? For those of us who go no matter what our capacity (medical missions, military, and so forth) when all is said and done have we done them any good or were we really just after the personal high that comes from believing that we can rescue them in some way? When we leave, will they be better off because we went? Do we have a right to interfere with their way of living? Would we want them to come to our country and do the same? A thought provoking book for us who have gone overseas as well as for those who are thinking about going. I wish that I had read it years ago but still am very glad that I have read it now.
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About the author
Six stars!
Amy Waldman hardly needs more good reviews, but I'd feel negligent not to add my recommendation. She's clearly been there, understands the terrain, and has learned to be skeptical of those who arrive, claiming they want to help, but whose real motives are hidden, perhaps sometimes even from themselves.A few years back, Greg Mortenson was the real-life pseudo-savior. He claimed to be building schools and promoting girls' education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but his real skill was at building his own status and ego. "A Door in the Earth" is a novel; Waldman doesn't claim to know just what motivated Mortenson. But in this fictionalized account of a pseudo-savior who built women's health clinics, Waldman has given us a better understanding of people like Mortenson, and the problems they cause. She's also given us an exceptionally absorbing, fast-paced book.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020
Amy Waldman hardly needs more good reviews, but I'd feel negligent not to add my recommendation. She's clearly been there, understands the terrain, and has learned to be skeptical of those who arrive, claiming they want to help, but whose real motives are hidden, perhaps sometimes even from themselves.
A few years back, Greg Mortenson was the real-life pseudo-savior. He claimed to be building schools and promoting girls' education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but his real skill was at building his own status and ego. "A Door in the Earth" is a novel; Waldman doesn't claim to know just what motivated Mortenson. But in this fictionalized account of a pseudo-savior who built women's health clinics, Waldman has given us a better understanding of people like Mortenson, and the problems they cause. She's also given us an exceptionally absorbing, fast-paced book.
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2021
- Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021
