Jessica Alexander

Jessica Alexander brings a spotlight and a magnifying glass to the messy world of humanitarian aid. Her account of being in Rwanda, Haiti, Darfur, Sierra Leone, and Sri Lanka amid the worst disasters and humanitarian crises is riveting. But equally interesting are her attempts to analyze the industry she works for. What actually helps people? How can the massive competitive bureaucracies of NGOs be more agile?

The solution of just giving people money to buy what they need, quite honestly, show more seems to me to be the best. It gives people agency and also stimulates the local economy. So what if they don't spend the money on the things we think they should? Is it up to wealthy donors to police the needy beneficiaries? There's always such morality assigned to money. Aid should be more results-oriented than process oriented, meaning, who cares if someone spends money on alcohol? That means the bartender has more money to spend on food for himself and his family.

I was also glad to see her highlight the hypocrisy of mission-based short-term "humanitarian tourism" that many religious organizations and other feel-good groups indulge in. Alexander pulls no punches when observing all aspects of the aid industry, including herself. show less

There’s almost no place on the planet that isn’t in need of some form of aid. From African refugees to Middle East conflict survivors to the countless homeless in the United States, humanitarian aid is a constant necessity. Doing what is necessary is oftentimes daunting and exhausting. Jessica Alexander, in Chasing Chaos, describes a decade in the field and what existing on both sides of the fence has taught her about the world and herself. She’s been to Darfur, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, show more and Haiti. She’s been on the front lines watching over a camp and in an office coordinating relief from afar. Her unabashed description of living conditions in the undeveloped world as well as her candid assessment of her own life may inject a twinge of guilt in those who are fortunate enough to afford food and water. She understands the culture shock of coming back to her home after living in a tent for months at a time. Alexander’s tone is conversational and quick. If you’re looking for true ways to get involved in relief efforts, she offers up a few avenues. She also does a decent job of laying out the intricate politics and social landscapes of the countries currently in need of aid as well as the dangers she faced in many locations. All in all, this was a heady and rewarding book. show less

Thanksgiving family read-aloud picture book binge.

Spanning centuries, pretty nature pictures are encroached upon by industrialization, population explosion, corporate malfeasance, and mass pollution. But all we have to do is recycle our water bottles and plant some trees and problem solved? Too simplistic even for a children's book, especially once the authors have broached some pretty major topics.

And the whole thing is told in annoying couplets. Ugh.

"This is the land, / fertile, alive, / crawling with creatures / That help it to thrive. / This is the river, / flowing and free, / streaming with fish / as it swells to the sea." And so begins this poetic picture-book examination of the beauties of the earth, and the history of human interaction with it. Written along the lines of the famous nursery rhyme, The House That Jack Built, Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander's text outlines the many human activities that affect the earth, whether show more for good or ill, concluding with actions that we all can take to help the environment, "Making a difference, / becoming aware, / together we live / on this Earth that we share."

With its rollicking cadence and colorful artwork, This Is the Earth would make an excellent read-aloud title, one that educates as it engages and entertains. One of four picture-books that will be featured during an Earth Day event here at work, it offers both a celebration of our planetary home and an ecological lesson. I appreciated the fact that those behaviors which harm the earth - pollution, over-use of resources - are followed by those that can help, leaving the young reader/listener with a positive model of what can be achieved in the end, rather than a sad one of what has gone wrong. The watercolor artwork by Wendell Minor is lovely, and ably conveys the ideas and images mentioned in the rhyming text. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-book with an ecological theme, particularly for Earth Day! show less