Blood and Milk

These are not the books that teach you about development. These are the books that crack your head open so you can start (or continue) to learn.

1. Anything by Graham Greene. Doesn’t have to be The Quiet American or Our Man in Havana, honest. The Comedians or The Heart of the Matter will do fine. But his take on the world will help guide your own perspective in a way that’s useful. The Portable Graham Greene, while not actually portable, is a nice start.

2. Biggest Elvis, by P.F. Kluge. The important thing to remember about this book is that it’s not just the narrator who is unreliable, it’s the author. But read it and if you’re paying attention, you’ll see yourself. It’s a warning and a gift of insight to everyone who thinks they know how to help.

3. Anything by Nahguib Mahfouz. I actually find his writing a little dry in English – Mahfouz’s true genius as an author is the way he uses the Arabic language. But he also writes deeply felt, emotionally resonant stories about the lives of poor people, set in one of the world’s biggest, oldest, poorest cities. Children of the Alley is a good example, and it’s faster than reading the whole Cairo trilogy.

4. Prague, by Arthur Phillips. Okay, the Amazon reviews really hate this book. But I think it’s a dark and brilliant reflection on expatriate life and it has changed the way I see my place in the world. (Not necessarily for the better.)

5. Orientalism, by Edward Said. Surprise! Nonfiction! I’d say about 50% of development programs that go horribly wrong do so because of orientalism on the part of the foreigners involved. Even programs outside the Middle East. Said is writing about the Arab World, but the larger issue is about how we perceive the other, and that’s a universal problem. This book is considered one of the most important of the 20^th century, and I totally agree.

Note: these are affiliate links. If you’re going to buy a book, I may as well get a miniscule percentage of its value.

(photo credit: Lin Pernille)

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