The Big Truck That Went By

How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Caribbean & West Indies, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book The Big Truck That Went By by Jonathan M. Katz, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jonathan M. Katz ISBN: 9781137323958
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: January 8, 2013
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Jonathan M. Katz
ISBN: 9781137323958
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: January 8, 2013
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle it. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral, authoritative first-hand account, Katz chronicles the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and how the world reacted to a nation in need.

More than half of American adults gave money for Haiti, part of a monumental response totaling $16.3 billion in pledges. But three years later the relief effort has foundered. It's most basic promises—to build safer housing for the homeless, alleviate severe poverty, and strengthen Haiti to face future disasters—remain unfulfilled.

The Big Truck That Went By presents a sharp critique of international aid that defies today's conventional wisdom; that the way wealthy countries give aid makes poor countries seem irredeemably hopeless, while trapping millions in cycles of privation and catastrophe. Katz follows the money to uncover startling truths about how good intentions go wrong, and what can be done to make aid "smarter."

With coverage of Bill Clinton, who came to help lead the reconstruction; movie-star aid worker Sean Penn; Wyclef Jean; Haiti's leaders and people alike, Katz weaves a complex, darkly funny, and unexpected portrait of one of the world's most fascinating countries. The Big Truck That Went By is not only a definitive account of Haiti's earthquake, but of the world we live in today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle it. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral, authoritative first-hand account, Katz chronicles the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and how the world reacted to a nation in need.

More than half of American adults gave money for Haiti, part of a monumental response totaling $16.3 billion in pledges. But three years later the relief effort has foundered. It's most basic promises—to build safer housing for the homeless, alleviate severe poverty, and strengthen Haiti to face future disasters—remain unfulfilled.

The Big Truck That Went By presents a sharp critique of international aid that defies today's conventional wisdom; that the way wealthy countries give aid makes poor countries seem irredeemably hopeless, while trapping millions in cycles of privation and catastrophe. Katz follows the money to uncover startling truths about how good intentions go wrong, and what can be done to make aid "smarter."

With coverage of Bill Clinton, who came to help lead the reconstruction; movie-star aid worker Sean Penn; Wyclef Jean; Haiti's leaders and people alike, Katz weaves a complex, darkly funny, and unexpected portrait of one of the world's most fascinating countries. The Big Truck That Went By is not only a definitive account of Haiti's earthquake, but of the world we live in today.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book The Bridesmaid's Daughter by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Insulting English by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book The Anti-Education Era by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Without Hesitation by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Nothing Personal by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Total Abandon by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Stasi Child by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book God Knows My Heart by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book The Right Job, Right Now by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book The Nightingale by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Leadership by Example by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Paris Between Empires by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Beauty and the Highland Beast by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Biological Exuberance by Jonathan M. Katz
Cover of the book Sins of the Mother by Jonathan M. Katz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy