The Hungry Man
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The Hungry Man ( ISBN 974-345-211-7 ) is a book written and illustrated by Oren Ginzburg in 2004. It is a funny take on the way in which international aid organisations (non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the United Nations, etc.) are working around the world in trying to help "the poor". The Hungry Man was self-published by the author.
[edit] Overview
A reviewer of the book (Duncan Butchart in this review) wrote:
"This may be a slim little cartoon book, but it packs a powerful message: the vast amounts of money and human resources which go into aid programmes are very often misplaced. In a sequence of funny but illuminating watercolour drawings, which hardly need their skinny captions, Ginzburg deftly reveals how the plight of a 'hungry man' (as a representative of a community) so often attracts a horde of well-meaning expats which rapidly become a self-serving institution. (...) If this little book causes some individuals and organisations to reflect a little closer on what they are doing, it will have served its purpose."
In This brief review Phil Marshall (Technical Director, ARCPPT) urges people to read the book and have it handy, so that "Then, next time one of your colleagues goes to over-complicate something, you can say 'let's not take the Hungry Man approach' - and people will immediately know what you mean."
Oren Ginzburg has also written another book on international development, called There You Go! - which tells about the fatal encounter between a happy tribe and two "developers". The book is published by Hungry Man Books and Survival International in English, Spanish, and Italian.
The introduction of the book, by Survival International's director Stephen Corry, has the following things to say about There You Go! :
"There you go! is an arrow defending tribal peoples. In my 33 years with Survival, I have not come across anything else that hits the bull's eye with such simplicity, accuracy and irrepressible humour. Today the subject of tribal peoples and development is saturated with words, but if you really want to understand what's going on, read this book."
