BOOK REVIEWS
Generation NGO
Edited by Alisha Nicole Apale and Valerie Stam | Between the Lines Review by Racquel Smith
In Generation NGO, a young writer quotes Mark
Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.” The collection of essays in Generation NGO is a stunning testament to this aphorism. Riveting and honest reflection, insight and personal growth are covered in the narratives of ten diverse Canadians who had formative experiences in developing countries as young interns, volunteers or development workers. Forgivably and predictably, Generation NGO offers
us youth at the height of idealistic, romantic zeal, lived and heightened among “others”. Less predictable is the eloquence and poetry with which the writers reflect on their experiences. In many places, the storytelling in Generation NGO rivals the skills of a fine author. The memorializing of foreign friendships, angst, bliss, loss, discovery, mundane and major experiences are treated with piercing nuance and honesty.
42 iAM In just under 200 pages, Generation NGO accomplishes
at least two things. One - The stories reaffirm our ability to gain wisdom, to grow and to thrive when we embrace authentic personal connections across real and imagined borders. Secondly, many of the stories are successful in poignantly illustrating “the continual negotiation involved in positioning and conducting ourselves in a morally charged profession [international development]”. Both achievements of Generation NGO are intimated through the reflection of one contributor: “If I could choose my ideal resume format, it would list people chronologically... by the ways they have shown me how to live.” Generation NGO is necessary and thoroughly enjoyable reading for both a new generation of youth interested in actively shaping a better world, as it is for reminding old development hands of the personal and human stories buried in our work.
iAM Editors Jack Litster, Racquel Smith and Angela Wallace review the books we’ve all been talking about.
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