"A rich story that gives a wonderful, raw awareness of what we are
as humans. . . . Our hopes and illusions are stripped away, yet we
are left not with despair but with a deeper appreciation and a
sense of wonder. . . . Brilliant writing. I''m sure Maskalyk is a
fine doctor, but he''s an even better writer."
- Vancouver Sun
"One of the greatest successes of Six Months in
Sudan is that it does not try to be anything more than it
is-a moment in time. . . . [It] can be read and enjoyed by those
who are interested in the humanitarian movement and in global
issues, as well as by those who glance at the headlines and want to
know what it is like to be there, responding to world tragedies as
they unfold."
-The Globe and Mail
"[Maskalyk's] empathy is palpable. . . . As he details daily life
on the drab compound-the inescapable heat and dust, the terrible
food served by their hostile Sudanese cook, the petty bullying of
the local militia-and the wrenching demands of the hospital, the
book is vivid, and at times even funny."
-The Walrus
"[A] gripping and humane account of a mission spent working for
Medecins Sans Frontieres. . . . The crowded and airless hospital is
understaffed, under-equipped and periodically invaded by groups of
excitable militia. . . .Despite all this, Maskalyk does not lose
faith in the work he and MSF are doing in places such as Sudan. If
his initial, bright-eyed enthusiasm is soon buried under blood,
dust and sweat . . . he retains enough humanity to find consolation
in small acts of kindness."
-Daily Mail (UK)
"Powerful and shocking. . . .We share [Maskalyk's] immediate,
intimate experience as he confronts so much death... and struggles
with limited medical resources in often chaotic circumstances.
Heartbreaking scenes are recounted with searing honesty and without
a trace of self-satisfaction or self-congratulation."
-The Irish Times
"A fresh spin on a familiar story about death, misery, life and
survival. . . . This is not the first book to deal with aid work
and the perils of war, but it is successful in bringing a
blog-style conversation to the reader. Maskalyk''s honest monologue
depicts frustration, hunger, sickness and longing that any reader
can empathize with. It also marks a path of self-discovery, as a
young doctor comes to terms with what he wants in life, and a place
changes him forever as a doctor and a human being."
-The Gazette (Montreal)
"The prose in [Maskalyk's blog] is carefully crafted, often
poetic, always deliberate. . . .What matters here is what he does
with it-making it the core of a bigger story, a moving reflection
written back home after an experience he always knew would be
life-changing. . . . You're there, in the dust with him-and, when
the rains come, in the sea of mud. You're there in the makeshift
shelters that act as operating theatre, consulting rooms and
isolation unit. . . .Most stirringly, you're with him as he watches
the first of many babies die of malnutrition . . . [and] as he
tells grieving relatives that it is not MSF's job to help them with
funeral arrangements."
-The Scotsman
"Six Months in Sudan offers readers . . . an
interesting story and hope of understanding such a complex
situation. . . . The difference between those who write from the
sidelines, and those who write from within is striking. Maskalyk
takes the reader there, pulls them into his tukul (hut) and almost
smothers with the realities of trying to help."
-Winnipeg Free Press
"Moving…. Honest and fluently written, Maskalyk's book traces his
rapport with his colleagues, his growing affection for his adopted
town of Abyei and the readjustment he faces on returning to Canada.
It is an absorbing insight into international medicine."
-Financial Times
"Haunting. . . . the kind of book that makes sense of the senseless
and builds important connections between those who have seen and
felt what he has, those who aspire to do this kind of work, those
who want to support the dedicated humanitarian service of others
and those who just want to understand."
-Canadian Medical Association Journal
"Maskalyk''s soft prose is beautiful and invites with the right
intimate details. He offers a rare window on the inner life of an
aid worker, on what it means to be a humanitarian around the hard
edges of war, and on the certain drive to go on. Why? Because in
his words, `hope not only meets despair in equal measure, it drowns
it.'"
-James Orbinski, author of An Imperfect Offering:
Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-First Century
"This journey is beautifully told in sharp beats and lyrical notes.
It is the voyage of a young doctor in a hard world and deep within
his own heart."
-Vincent Lam, author of Bloodletting and Miraculous
Cures
"Six Months in Sudan is a wrenchingly
heartbreaking account of distant agonies almost too pointed to
grasp. Learning about Maskalyk''s work there is stirring, but the
real miracle is this book paints a picture so precisely and vividly
that it becomes impossible to look away. This is Maskalyk's
accomplishment, and his gift to the Sudanese and to us. The shame
of our indifference retreats before his exhortation: 'learn, and
understand,' and perhaps a more bearable future becomes possible
for all of us."
- Kevin Patterson, author of Consumption
"This is an extraordinary book, a piercingly authentic
account of the fear, confusion and hope of a young doctor newly
deployed to a humanitarian crisis wrapped around by a war. James
Maskalyk''s commitment to survival - his own as well as his
patients'' - illuminates this account of doctoring in the sort of
desperate place where it couldn''t matter more."
- Jonathan Kaplan, author of The Dressing Station:
A Surgeon's Chronicle of War and Medicine
"In Six Months in Sudan, James Maskalyk tells of
his extraordinary experiences working as a doctor for MSF, without
a trace of vanity or self-congratulation. His book serves as a
salutary reminder of what it means to be an excellent doctor, and a
brave man. For anyone who is interested in a career in medicine, or
in courage, this is a book to read."
- Gabriel Weston, author of Direct Red: A
Surgeon''s View of Her Life-Or-Death Profession