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Enough: Why The World's Poorest Starve In And Age Of Plenty (2000)

by Roger Thurow(Favorite Author)

4.05 of 5 Votes: 4

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English

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review 1: It's a shame that a book like this had to be written. It's not a doom & gloom book but I think anyone who reads it would be hard pressed to feel good after reading it. It clearly demonstrated how aid from the "first" world to the "third" world was detrimental to the farmers but made pointless by the World Bank & World Trade Organization policies, especially Structural Adjustment. The "first" world was essentially giving with one hand & taking with the other. The book also highlighted the Green Revolution started by Norman Borlaug & his various efforts throughout the years to help. It highlights the devastation in places like Ethiopia, Sudan & even goes into the famine in Ireland & how they were perplexed that no one seemed to learn from their problems. Even with the aid gi... moreven to countries in Africa, a very simple but overlooked issue was highlighted by someone from the continent who was trying to help: the aid, especially to farmers meant nothing if Africa didn't have a market for it's farmers. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the author(s), when highlighting Bono's efforts, seemed to put him on a pedestal but fortunately it's brief enough that it can be ignored to stay focused on the overall message in the book, which is that in the "first" world can take away from our glut & surplus to help other countries & still have enough to fill our wants & needs & then some. It's a book that helps one gain a better perspective of people's various positions in the world, how we view our own problems vs the problems of others & the fact that we can do what we want & need & don't have to put others in harms way via starvation. I recommend it to everyone.
review 2: Not quite the weekend read I was expecting, but am intrigued and disturbed by the politics of hunger as described in this book. All the world's advancements seem useless when there are parts of the world, esp Africa, where the basic human need for food and water are not fulfilled. The biggest irony - as has been described many times before - is that of starving farmers. This, when, according to the book, Africa has almost twice as much arable land than the European Union! And all this, just in the preface! yet to go through the rest of the book.A must-read for all of us. less

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