Aid Worker Voices

Interlude: Interested in aid worker fiction? Check these out!

AWV Interlude (re-edited and enhanced 3Aug16)

Interested in aid worker fiction?  Check these out!

Aid worker fiction?
That we can -and should- learn much about the world through art, to me, is self evident, and the sub-set of art represented by fiction writing is certainly no exception.  Using the vehicle of fiction, writers are frequently able to tell compelling stories that capture and convey essential truths about complex subject matter.  They present these insights in a way that resonates with and informs readers in a manner that makes an impact beyond what is possible through non-fiction alone.  Good fiction writers do not simply spin tales that merely amuse or detract us from reality.  Quite the opposite, with their words they sometimes present a more textured and nuanced view of life, love and sociocultural complexities.

And so it is with the humanitarian fiction of J, the consummate sector ‘insider’    Out now or coming soon is some excellent fiction from J, my colleague and partner in crime (read: researching aid workers).

Needed in your library now!
I was a happy beta reader for HUMAN – the world’s first humanitarian science fiction novel is now available for purchase on Amazon!

From the Amazon page:  Aid work was never “just a job” for Nassandra. But on Planet Earth, as head of the Inter-Galactic Aid Programme relief response, she found herself tested in ways she’d never imagined. As the last Native Earth tribes fought for their survival against the savage Rtulan who plundered Earth’s very substance, Nassandra found herself caught in a drama of passion, struggle and an unexpected search for the essence of humanity.

I have been on a lifelong quest searching for answers to the question “what does being human mean?” and HUMAN certainly gave me new points to consider.  Through the character of Nassandra, J brings the reader face to face with with her own humanity and through her we encounter many dilemmas faced by aid workers everywhere.  Strongly recommend!

More than just a “dusting off” job
J put a great deal of effort into a re-issue of his first novel, Dangerous Passions: A Humanitarian Romance, and it is a must read for aid workers everywhere.

From the Amazon page: “They sacrificed everything for the poor… but was there enough left for their love?” 

Mary-Anne and Jean-Philippe come from different worlds. She’s a simple girl from America’s conservative deep south, trying to break free of the societal bonds that hold her back. He’s a hardened, cynical man of the world haunted by a dark past. Both are thrown together in the chaos of a disaster response after a massive earthquake in Haiti. Can Mary-Anne ever love a man like him? Can Jean-Philippe ever find a soul-mate in a woman like her? Will stress and the danger of a disaster zone ultimately keep them apart? Or will their love smolder into a white-hot flame of passion? 

A rollicking, thought-provoking, hilarious, and sometimes somber story of humanitarian workers trying to make sense of work and life (and maybe get a little action) in the aftermath of a massive natural catastrophe.

You can follow the adventures of Mary-Anne and Philippe in J’s more recent fiction books.  In recent years I have used with great success Missionary, Mercenary,Mystic, Misfit  as a companion reader along with J’s non-fiction work Letters Left Unsent in my Elon University class “Being and Becoming a Global Citizen.”   My students find Mary-Anne to be accessible and her story a great vehicle for understanding what aid work “is really like.” The latest installment of Mary-Anne’s work with World Aid Corps (WAC) is Honor Among Thieves.  All of J’s fiction is page-turningly excellent and despite some insider language and humor is easily accessible for all audiances.

Next time you’re caught in airport purgatory or otherwise find yourself with some rare down time on your hands…download any of J’s books for some entertaining and informative diversion.

You can find out more regarding these books by going to J’s publishing web site Evil Genius Press.

 

 

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