NetNews

A new book by John Norris '87 offers "a highly readable tour of the sights, scares and moral tradeoffs that he encountered in the Earth's most troubled places." The Disaster Gypsies was published in April, 2007, by Praeger Security International.

Norris is the chief of political affairs with the United Nations Mission in Nepal. He previously served as the Washington chief of staff for the International Crisis Group while conducting a wide range of field work in Asia, Africa and the Balkans. Norris was also the director of communications for the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development both as a speechwriter and a field relief worker in Rwanda, Bosnia and elsewhere. He is the author of the 2005 book Collision Course, also published by Praeger.

The Disaster Gypsies is, according to its publisher, "a compelling personal memoir by a relief worker and conflict specialist who has worked on the ground in a host of war-torn countries. Initially deployed as part of a humanitarian relief team in Rwanda almost by accident, Norris has experienced the tragedies of Rwanda, Bosnia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Liberia over a span of a decade. Rich with poignant human stories, the book captures the reality of modern war with an immediacy and compassion that puts the reader in the front seat for some of the most wrenching events of our times."

Norris' St. Lawrence degree is in psychology, and he particpated in the University's program of study in Vienna.

Posted: June 28, 2007