My Account Log in

1 option

The good American : the epic life of Bob Gersony, the U.S. Government's greatest humanitarian / Robert D. Kaplan.

Lippincott Library HC60 .K3435 2021
Loading location information...

Available This item is available for access.

Log in to request item
Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Kaplan, Robert D., 1952- author.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
United States. Department of State.
United States. Agency for International Development.
Humanitarian assistance, American.
Refuge (Humanitarian assistance)--United States.
Refuge (Humanitarian assistance).
United States.
Philanthropists--United States--Biography.
Philanthropists.
Employees.
Gersony, Robert.
United States. Agency for International Development--Officials and employees--Biography.
United States. Department of State--Officials and employees--Biography.
Genre:
Biographies.
Physical Description:
xviii, 521 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Edition:
First edition.
Other Title:
Epic life and adventures of Bob Gersony, the U.S. government's greatest humanitarian
Place of Publication:
New York : Random House, [2021]
Summary:
"The Good American is a story about courage, intense loneliness, and the State Department's golden age during the late Cold War and post-Cold War. It is also a celebration of ground level reporting and getting a worm's eye view of crisis zones. Robert Gersony, a high-school dropout later awarded a bronze star in Vietnam, spent over four decades on the ground in virtually every war and natural disaster zone in the world. Interviewing hundreds of refugees and displaced persons in each place to assess humanitarian crises, Gersony's research and thorough reports had an immense, underappreciated impact on US foreign policy across the globe. In every case, his recommendations made it smarter and more humane, often dramatically so. In his career as a journalist, Robert D. Kaplan often crossed paths with Gersony while covering the "hot" moments of the Cold War and its aftermath. Even as a biography, this is Kaplan's most personal book to date, and through Gersony's story, he makes a poignant case for how American diplomacy should be conducted--with a clear eye toward facts on the ground--at a time when diplomacy is too often being left behind."-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Machine generated contents note: MANY SMALL BEGINNINGS
ch. 1 Vietnam, 1966-1969
ch. 2 Guatemala, 1970-1977
ch. 3 Dominica, El Salvador, and South America, 1979-1983
BIG PLAYS
ch. 4 Uganda, Luwero Triangle, 1984
ch. 5 South China Sea, 1984-1985
ch. 6 Sudan and Chad, 1985
ch. 7 Honduras, 1985-1986
ch. 8 Mozambique, 1987-1988
ch. 9 Ethiopia and Somalia, 1989
ch. 10 Liberia by Way of Nicaragua, 1990-1993
ch. 11 Rwanda, 1994
THE WORLD IS WHAT IT IS
ch. 12 Gaza and the West Bank, 1995
ch. 13 Bosnia, 1995-1996
ch. 14 Northern Uganda by Way of Nicaragua, 1996-1997
ch. 15 From El Salvador to Ecuador and Colombia, by Way of Africa, 1997-2002 and 2008-2009
ch. 16 North Korea, 2002
ch. 17 Nepal, 2003
ch. 18 Micronesia by Way of Iraq, 2003-2008
ch. 19 Northern Mexico by Way of Central America, 2010-2013.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Other Format:
Online version: Kaplan, Robert D., 1952- The good American.
ISBN:
9780525512301
0525512306
OCLC:
1145100400
Publisher Number:
99986280613

The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.

Find

Home Release notes

My Account

Shelf Request an item Bookmarks Fines and fees Settings

Guides

Using the Find catalog Using Articles+ Using your account