The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story

by Alison Thompson

Alison Thompson, a filmmaker living in New York City, was enjoying Christmas with her boyfriend in 2004 when she saw the news reports online: a 9.3 magnitude earthquake had struck the sea near Indonesia, triggering a massive tsunami that hit much of southern Asia. As she watched the death toll climb, Thompson had one thought: She had to go help. A few years earlier, she had spent eight months volunteering at Ground Zero after 9/11. She’d learned then that when disaster strikes, it’s not just the firemen and Red Cross who are needed—every single person can make a difference.  

With $300 in cash, some basic medical supplies, and a vague idea that she’d go wherever she was needed, Thompson headed to Sri Lanka. Along with a small team of volunteers, she settled in a coastal town that had been hit especially hard and began tending to people’s injuries, giving out food and water, playing games with the children, collecting dead bodies, and helping rebuild the local school and homes that had been destroyed. Thompson had intended to stay for two weeks; she ended up staying for fourteen months. She and her team helped start new businesses and set up the first tsunami early-warning center in Sri Lanka, which continues to save lives today. 

The Third Wave tells the inspiring story of how volunteering changed Thompson’s life. It begins with her first real introduction to disaster relief after 9/11 and ends with her more recent efforts in Haiti, where she has helped create and run, with Sean Penn, an internally-displaced-person camp and field hospital for more than 65,000 Haitians who lost their homes in the 2010 earthquake. In The Third Wave , Thompson provides an invaluable inside glimpse into what really happens on the ground after a disaster—and a road map for what anyone can do to help. As Alison Thompson shows, with some resilience, a healthy sense of humor, and the desire to make a difference, we all have what it takes to change the world for the better.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Travel, Biography Memoir, International

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2011

About the author

Alison Thompson is a professional chef and pastry chef who has worked with the world's finest pastry chefs in Melbourne and London, and has spent time at London's famed Little Venice Cake Company. Alison is the founder and head pastry chef of Alison Louise Designer Cakes just outside Melbourne, Australia.

Reviews

[Cat Chiappa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really esxcited for this book, but finished it feeling a little disappointed. There were some really good anecdotal stories, but overall I was just left feeling that it was very chronological...e.g we did this...and then this and then this.

I am amazed at all of the wonderful work the author did. However, I was a little put off by the fact that she was constantly asking for donations. While I understand it to a point, there was just a point in the book where I got tired of it and wished that she had written a grant instead. While I get that this is a difficult situation and she was doing wonderful work, I just got a little fatigued of the constant mentions where she was asking friends for money.

All in all, I really respect what she did and am glad that there are people out there who are helping others in their time of need. She also added some very helpful tips on how to go about doing that type of volunteering as well, even down to the nitty gritty details of how to pack.

[Christy Chermak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun surprise- I found this book while cleaning my parents house- someone must have given it to me ages ago.
The writing isn’t anything special but Alison has lived through some amazing things so it was fascinating to hear her very honest and gritty tellings of being a first responder to world crises.
I probably wouldn’t endorse all of her methods, but her willingness to run towards the fire and help others is both challenging and encouraging. If we were all as willing to serve and love unconditionally like Alison, the world would be a far better place.
Intriguing quick read. Would recommend to anyone who does mission work for displaced peoples or disaster response trips.

[Liralen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

The author very clearly did some incredible things, but the book reads more like a set of notes than a cohesive story. I don't know how much work was done by Thompson and how much was done by her ghostwriter, but somebody wasn't picking up the slack.

It would have been a stronger book if she had narrowed the scope of her focus. The end - which was about her relief efforts in Haiti - was rushed and gave no sense of any individuals there, and the sections about Sri Lanka (the bulk of the book) tried to cover so much material that everything felt thin and unsubstantiated. I would have loved to get a deeper understanding of individual stories of some of the people they were trying to help, but that was generally limited to one-paragraph sketches, and then on to the next person.

I guess, overall, it just felt...lazy. Like, no need to discuss the devastation of 9/11, because any American adult who reads this book will have seen photos and footage. No need to expand on events or give detailed descriptions, because there's so much to rush through.

Lots of promise, but no follow-through. I suspect that the films she's made are much better.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We simply felt that we could not leave these people while they were still in so much need. I knew that my landlord in New York would be freaking out about my unpaid rent....” Wait- what?

It’s clearly a wonderful selfless thing the author did in Sri Lanka. I think what bothers me is that through the book, she wonders why more help isn’t coming, and seems to lay guilt on the reader. Well, most people just don’t up and leave their responsibilities - like their rent.

Also strange to me- she’s a nurse’s aide, investment banker, and a math teacher.
A few times in the book, she calls herself a nurse, when in fact, she is not. “I was grateful for my nurse’s training.” “I announced in my most assertive voice, “I am a nurse and I have no shoes.” You are not a nurse.

Her lack of emotional expression is disturbing. Had she maybe discussed her desensitization to seeing dead bodies, it would have explained her complete non-reaction to “I squatted down and gave a solid tug on the head, which snapped off into my hands.”

As it was written with very little emotional expression, I found the book to be more of a log of anecdotes. While I admire her work, I still do not understand how she or her team made the recovery effort work. I do not have an understanding of the feelings behind triumphs and disappointments.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. The story itself is amazing and honestly inspiring. Imagine dropping everything and going to volunteer for months on the opposite side of the world- so many unimaginable challenges to battle yet so much potential for reward.
However this book is poorly written. Just in general the language is boring and the layout is usually we did this... then we helped with this ect. This book mostly felt like PR for her and her amazing journey. I give her much credit, but it I think it leaves the reader feeling very guilty about her own life and tending to her own life. There really was a lot of good moments to take away from this book, overall I think this could've been written in a way that was more tasteful, powerful, and relatable to the target audience.

[Gemma Hegarty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by this book, and like other reviewers find myself conflicted. I am sure the work in volunteering has influenced and changes lives, however, reiterations of "wealthy friends" paying airfares, rents, bills etc make me feel uncomfortable ~ I've lived in Manhattan and it isn't cheap, if I wanted to selflessly volunteer, I wouldn't be comfortable someone else paying rent to keep my apartment. For me, the religious overtones also bring a "saviour complex" element. Further, refering to locals in the midst of disaster as lazy, and swathing but unsubstantiated NGO criticisms, further lead to a narrative that seems a bit self-serving.

[Julie Swee]

I’m not going to rate this book because as far as stories go - she is wonderful and does amazing things. Truly inspiring and gives up so much to help others. There are definitely parts of the book where I’m like why did you include that detail? But overall, fairly well written, easy to read/follow. And some of the people in the book made me quite upset - I know they were going through trauma but she definitely handled it better in it than I even did as a reader lol

[Jack Rego · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly inspiring story. I just don’t understand how a person can have so much unconditional love. Even when they are being barracked and abused by the very people they are trying to help. I will make a point of reading this again very soon, just to remember what I need to aspire to.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I don't really agree with her outlook on volunteering, it was so idealized, and so was the way she wrote about her own experiences.

[amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

It took a long time to decide what rating to give it. I kept going back and forth between 2 and 3 stars. Here are some of the things I really didn't like about it.

1. I HATE the cover. The 230 page book is 150 pages of writing about her work in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, 40 pages of writing about volunteering at ground zero after 9/11, 20 pages of writing about her work in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, 15 pages of here's how you can volunteer too, and 5 pages of thank yous. So why is the cover photo of Thompson surrounded by kids in Haiti? That is at best false advertising of what the book is about and at worst an attempt to play into the great white savior of the poor little helpless black children mythology. Either way it's annoying, and if it's the latter then it's patently racist as well.

2. I want to like someone who is spending so much of their time helping others, but when someone says "I figured I needed them more then he did" about taking the shoes off of a dead man's body at Ground Zero because she didn't think to bring some shoes along with her when she rollerblades down to Ground Zero on 9/11, it just feels wrong. The same goes for when she keeps complaining about being told by the people in charge to go home. Just because there was too much going on for them to stop and make you leave does not in fact mean that you have the right to be there; it just means no one has time to fight with you about it. The complaining about people not just giving in to whatever she wants happens a lot in all parts of the book.

3. She can never just call things a suit or a restaurant. It always has to be a Gucci suit or The Tribeca Grill. You could make a drinking game out of the number of times she uses the words Chanel No.5.

4. She names a dog she finds in Sri Lanka Tsunami-dog and then is surprised to find that walking around calling Tsunami-dog freaks out "the villagers", a term she uses far to often.

5. She seems to really believe that she and her friends always know better then everyone else in every situation what the right thing to do is no matter who the everyone else is or how much training they have. This also seems to apply to where people should donate money. If the people running the charity aren't her personal friends, then they must be wasting the money on fancy hotel rooms.

6. There is a point in Sri Lanka where all she does is complain about the community expecting her to do things. This is after she and her group go in and basicly declare themselves in charge of the village.

7. For someone who is religious herself, she doesn't seem to have any problem with people from her group disrupting the religious ceremonies of the people in Sri Lanka.

8. The lack of planning in all of her trips gets really old. It is one thing to go running off to another country the first time but by the time she goes to Haiti there should really be more of a plan "then lets jump on a plane and go".

9. She clearly really wants you to know that she knows Sean Penn and Maria Bello something I really don't care about.

10. She keeps saying that anyone could do what she's doing, often brushing over the fact that she has friends who are giving her large amounts of money on a regular basis to cover her bills, something most people don't have.

Taking all of this together why did I still give this three stars? I guess because mixed in with all of the junk is an interesting story about what one woman is doing with her life. Maybe if Thompson gets another book deal she will find a better co-writer, one who will stop her from adding in so much useless information and keep the focus where it belongs, on the good she is trying to do.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was chosen to receive this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank You!


You have to hate when you go on vacation and forget to bring along the book you are currently reading. This review would have been shared much sooner if I hadn’t left the book behind. Can you believe my husband wouldn’t turn around and drive home to get it?

Alison Thompson is a true inspiration. The fact that she was willing to drop everything and run to the aid of others with no thought of her own needs is venerable. If the world was filled with more people like her, it would be a much better place. How many of us would decide to undertake such an endeavor with the belief that “the money would come”?

I really, really enjoyed this book. From the beginning, Thompson had my undivided attention; I had laughed and cried by page 25. The detail with which she shared her experience brought the scenes of utter devastation to life.

I was particularly moved by the experiences of 9/11. I remember that day so clearly. I remember the horror we all felt as we watched the towers fall. I can’t imagine the emotions felt by those who were on that very sacred ground. Though I live across the country from where the tragedy occurred, my eyes still fill with tears when I remember that day.

I appreciated that Thompson shared the good along with the bad. To see the treatment she received from some of the very individuals she had come to help confirmed that across the world people are the same. I have lived my life seeing the ugliness of those with entitlement issues, those who think their needs are greater than their neighbors, or who have lived their life looking for someone to blame. There are reasons that Good Samaritan laws/acts had to be put in place. It was great to see that the experiences of Sri Lanka did not keep her from her service in Haiti.

I am giving this book a 4-star rating instead of 5 for two reasons. First, I felt the ending was very rushed. Too little time was spent on the experiences Thompson had in Haiti. I felt that the ending was cut short to meet a specific page limitation. I wanted to read more. I wanted the details from her time in Haiti that I was given for Sri Lanka.

Second, I was distracted by the discussion of romances at Ground Zero and the “hook-up” rooms. I don’t feel that added anything to the experience, in fact, I found it completely unnecessary. As a reader, I don’t need every detail. If a specific detail adds to the experience—share it, if it doesn’t—get rid of it.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others. Each of us can learn from the shining example of goodness that Alison Thompson has given us.

[Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to say about this one! Told in three parts centered around three catastrophes, the Australian-born author starts the book right in the middle of the 9/11 tragedy. Literally, the book opens with her describing her rollerblading from her apartment straight to Ground Zero, drawn to help in any way she can. She leaves her rollerblades by a wall just off the West Side Highway, demands a pet store clerk surrender his shoes to her, and, armed with nothing but a first aid kit, a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 (to dab under her nose to mask the scent of death, something that comes up often), and an old 8mm camera, is among the first civilian volunteers at Ground Zero. She spends four straight days in makeshift first aid stations, first directly on the site, then at a demolished bar a couple of blocks away, tending to the raw physical and emotional wounds of emergency personnel. She then returns a few days later with the Red Cross and then the Salvation Army, spending the full 9 months between the attack and the official closing ceremony, continuing her work.

That was all I thought the book would be about, so I was surprised when I was only three chapters in and she was wrapping up her Ground Zero experiences. The second "act" of the book takes the author to Sri Lanka in the wake of the devastating tsunami of 2004. With little in the way of a plan, some basic medical supplies, and her Chanel No. 5, she, along with her new boyfriend, set off looking to do something. They're not sure what, but figure they'll know when they find it. "It" comes in the form of a small destroyed village, Peraliya. They spend about a year and a half there, with an ever-growing and shrinking pool of volunteers and money. Their experiences are at once heartening, inspiring, disturbing, and heartbreaking as they find themselves looking after a refugee population of over 3000. They go from being the village heroes to being accused of stealing aid money to spend on themselves (which couldn't be further from the truth). While there, they shoot hours and hours of video footage, which they eventually turn into a documentary with the same name as the book. The documentary catches the eye of Sean Penn, who takes it to Cannes and (I swear I'm trying to wrap this up) ...

The third act brings Alison to Haiti in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake as part of Sean Penn's team. There, though the team is armed with more supplies (huge donations! Donna Karan's private jet!) they find themselves in much the same position as in Peraliya. Which is to say, realizing that all the money and all the supplies in the world do nothing without people to distribute them and make sure they get where they need to be. All in all a fascinating, uplifting reminder about the importance of volunteerism.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the first few pages when Alison describes how she rushed down to Ground Zero shortly after it happened. I actually had tears in my eyes while I was reading her descriptions. It may have been an emotional day for me, or it could have been the sheer horror of what she was describing. I had never read about how truly gruesome it was down there - mostly because I just didn't want to know.

The book emphasizes how anyone can volunteer to make a difference in the world. It is rare that a book really changes my life or speaks to me, but this one did. I have always wanted to work in disaster relief & after reading about how Alison just got up & did it, without worrying about the how's - rather, she believed in her purpose & found a way to make it work & I suspect she also just trusted her instincts. The author is religious so I would assume her trust in God helped her in this regard. A lot of people would get worried about up & leaving to go to Sri Lanka without much of a plan after a major tsunami has just hit. I myself, am rather impulsive, so what she said spoke to me.

A lot of the book is about her time in Sri Lanka, which was really interesting. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed - she is currently working in Haiti. I wish she had written more about what she was doing there & what she has experienced & come up against. I felt like there were at least 4 chapters missing in that regard. I did, however, read the book in 3 hours, because I couldn't put it down. Everything else in my day ceased to matter. That is the sign of a good book to me.

The end of the book offers a lot of really good tips on what you can do to volunteer & how to go about it, things that she has learned first hand. What is emphasized is that you don't need to have a special degree or need to be the head of a major organization, that we all have a lot of skills which when put together make us all useful when a major disaster has struck. Also at the end there is a list of places that you can donate to where the money won't get stuck in an endless plug of bureaucracy. The author saw that first hand with the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

I recommend this book highly for anyone who wants to know what it is like to do disaster relief & who wants to know what that is really like - as well as anyone who has compassion for those in the world who are suffering. The story is at times really sad, but it is also uplifting because there are things that can be done about the situation.

*I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Jax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Thompson is more couragious and brave than anyone I know on this earth and someone after reading this book I greatly admire. Alison overcame a massive obstacle in her early adult years when she was in a accident that claimed the use of her legs. After much hardship Alison learned to walk again and swore to make something of her life as a result and boy did she do that.

Alison flew from her native Australia to New York where she knew noone and started her life over. It was during Alison's time in New York that 9-11 happened and Alison found herself volunteering in the rescue effort doing anything and everything to make life easier for rescue and recovery workers. Mant months later when the area where the world trade centers had been was all cleaned up Alison again found herself at a loss of what to do until abit later when the Earthquake and Tsunami happened to the indonesian islands and coastline and destroyed almost everything in its path. Alison didnt need to think twice and was on the first flight she could get out of New York to Sri Lanka where she volunteered for almost a year helping to rebuild, restore and heal those in need.

You would think Alisons charity would end there but it didnt Alison returned home and spent her time fundraising for more aid and then the earthquake in Haiti happened and with Sean Penns help Alison was soon on her way.

Alisons story was very hard to put gripping and very hard to put down once started, she is a true hero for her contributions although she would say she is just doing what any human being would do in her shoes. but im not sure everything Alison has done alot of people would get off their couches for. As for me I may never look at a natural disaster and the after effects the same way again.

if you have a heart than this is the book for you to read it may just change your life

[Todd Tavolazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just try not to be inspired after reading The Third Wave!

Alison Thompson is the person my human conscience wishes I would be. From running toward disasters beginning with 9/11 to Sri Lanka after the 2004 earthquake/tsunami to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Alison has been putting her whole heart out there for people in need. For those who may not know, her and her fellow volunteers put out a documentary on their time in Sri Lanka titled, "The Third Wave" as well. Alison summed up her heartfelt and sincere message on the last page of the book: "Be the brightest light you can be and lead the way in the dark." Alison has a second book coming out next year (2017) that will give you another dose of how to lead a caring volunteer life by her own fantastic example - but don't feel put off by her incredible dedication to volunteerism - her message fits everyone, in that, you don't need to try to do everything - just DO SOMETHING. She is currently in Lesbos, Greece welcoming Syrian refugees, giving them solar-powered lights, water, or even a simple loving hug and a smile as they search for safety and a path away from chaos and death. All of us should strive to be more like Alison Thompson and the first step is to read her book, watch her documentary, be inspired, and honor her example by DOING SOMETHING TO HELP OTHERS TODAY! Be the change you would like to see in the world! Thanks for your inspiration and love Alison!

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book began on a high note for me (the chronicle of Alison's experiences as a volunteer post 9/11 was fascinating), but it quickly became problematic. For one thing, her descriptions of and interactions in Sri Lanka were disturbing to me. This story felt very "us vs. them" although it was clearly not her intention, the way that she described her experiences and discussed the way people in Sri Lanka and Haiti interacted with her made it feel that way.

As others have mentioned, this book does have a tendency toward self-congratulatory language. A perfect example: the moment when Alison and another volunteer are disappointed that they are not allowed in for the closing ceremony at the World Trade Center after all of their hard work; certainly understandable, but then again, they were working outside of the system and didn't have the required clearance. There were several times that this book made me feel very alienated/annoyed. I felt that it promoted action without education and glorified going into debt/nearly getting evicted until other people picked up the slack so that good work could be done in a foreign country while people starved three blocks away from your home.

However, it does provide some interesting counterpoint to the typical volunteer abroad story. I wish it hadn't left me with such a sour note in the end.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first got this book as an advanced uncorrected proof via goodreads in 2011 and haven't read it till now. I have to say I admire Alison very much for her work. It has been a dream of mine to do international volunteer for years and this books only encourages me more. I enjoyed her stories from her different experience a lot and she has some great advice for anyone seeking international volunteer work. However, the version of the book I read, which again was an advanced uncorrected proof, needed some work. She jumps around a lot from describing the beginning process of her work to something that happens in the end but doesn't seem to relate. I'd really like to read the published version to see the difference and to see her documentary as well. I only hope more people read her book and go on to do something for those in the world with less material possessions and are in greater need than any of us could fathom.

[Sherri Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book caught my interest on the first page with the author roller blading to Ground Zero with a back pack of medical supplies just as a citizen volunteer. She worked for a year at Ground Zero first with the citizen responders, then the Red Cross, and lastly the Salvation Army while the rubble was cleared. She opened my eyes to how anyone can help--not just trained medical personnel. People cleaned toilets, emptied trash, washed saline into the eyes of iron workers, made coffee, delivered food to the iron workers removing the debris working 12 - 14 hour shifts. She took that experience to Sri Lanka after the tsumnai and later Haiti. She is a woman of faith and radiates light but she saw and suffered under evil, yet still was encouraging. I have such a better opinion of the Clinton Foundation and Sean Penn through their work in Haiti.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this through Goodreads First Reads, so I'm reviewing this for free.

Found it interesting, if a bit too flat for my taste. I'm actually in the Public Health field and have been taking a emergency preparedness and disaster response class lately, so it was interesting to view the subject from a different angle. I think it would have been more interesting if she had included some more clinical information to give readers more than just a first-person view of the subject (e.g. psych data on coping mechanisms and how those apply to those she helped). I found the book very subjective, which I believe was the author's intention, but I feel it would have benefited from adding other viewpoints.

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book...perhaps too high. The story itself was an interesting and honest account of what really happens to people after a natural disaster, and opened my eyes to a lot of things. However I thought the writing was quite poor and matter of fact, and I didn't find it overly engaging. I also felt like the author talked about her accomplishments as an individual a lot rather than what they did as a team, perhaps this was unintentional but it was a little off putting.
That said, I think the documentary would be worth seeing and as a story probably translates better on film. I was also annoyed that Alison left the tsunami dog behind, knowing how it had been treated. I don't understand how if she loved her so much she left her behind.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving and uplifting story of one woman making a difference in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world. There were some passages where I felt that the prose could have used a little more polish, but despite this the story is very arresting and carries you along: you can't help but be fascinated by Thompson's incredible experiences and commitment to her cause. It's inspiring and confronting; it encourages you to think how you would behave in similar situations yourself. It's a book for anyone thinking of volunteering or anyone interested in how volunteers can help others with practical, on-the-ground action. Recommend.

[Wendy Tarlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started reading this after meeting Alison on FB through friends after we all became friends through Sandy Relief orgs and were scrambling to organize different missions. She is the real deal and reading her book on and off through the last couple of months was not only insightful but inspiring. It left me wanting more. I admire her tremendously. She's still at it and hasn't taken a break and still totally involved with Haiti. She is also working on book two which I can't wait to read. Definitely a great book for anyone who has a passion for helping others or for anyone clueless and somehow thinks things get fixed on their own or through the government.

[kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to this book when I saw it and I whizzed through the first half in just a few hours right after I got it. After the first rush was over, I started getting a little annoyed by the writing style and the organization of the story. I kept with it though, because the story itself was still interesting and important. Once we got to the Haiti section, I fell back into the groove with the story. It still managed to inspire me despite the choppy bits, so I think it accomplished its goal.

[Jenny T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a free book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
The Third Wave refers to the volunteers who came to help after the 2 Asian tsunami waves of December 26, 2004. This book tells the story of Alison Thompson who volunteered her help following disasters (9/11, in Sri Lanka after the Asian tsunamis, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake). The descriptions of the disasters and recovery efforts were vivid and definitely made me admire Ms. Thompson's altruism and bravery.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book is an inspiration with the unselfish giving of herself to those in need due to devastating circumstances; Sept 11th, the tsunami in Sri Lanka, and the earthquake in Haiti. The world would be a better place if there were more people like her who think of others before they think of themselves! I am giving this book 4 stars not because it is a masterpiece of literature but because it is a masterpiece of humanity, of a giving soul.

[Bookwyrmgyrl]

This book caught me with its first sentence and I did not want to put it down, because it's true. I was fascinated and couldn't wait to read what happened to Thompson next. I felt like I was really there with her.

I also really liked the her writing style and the way she got straight to the main story and doesn't dilly dally around with pointless exposition.

It opened my eyes to disaster situations. I also admire her willingness to jump in and help - that is an inspiration.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thompson isn't a great writer, but her experiences and dedication to voluntarism are very powerful. So many of us walk around every day without any thought of what it truly means to be a victim of disaster (myself included), and this book was a jolt into thinking deeper about Sri Lanka and Haiti, and the terrible aftermath they are still dealing with.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning section about Thompson's volunteering at Ground Zero was gripping. The section about volunteering in Sri Lanka following the tsunami was good, but got a little long and whiny. The third part about her volunteering in Haiti seemed preachy and there was a lot of name-dropping. Overall, started out very promising, but ended disappointingly.

[mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about Thompson's volunteer adventures! My two problems was that at some parts there seemed to be unnecessary information about her own personal life and that she appeared to be a little self-righteous about her good deeds. But other than that I loved it. It has inspired to me to sometime in the future volunteer and help third world countries :)

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting story of this woman's journey through volunteering. Beginning with NYC 9/11 and ending with the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Most of the story takes place in Sri Lanka where she and her boyfriend go after hearing that a 9.3 magnitude earthquake had struck the sea near Indonesia, triggering a massive tsunami that hit much of southern Asia.