Lost on Earth: Nomads of the New World

by Mark Fritz

Stories describing the plight and circumstances of refugees around the world include "Return of the Gypsies," "Fresh Orphans," "Lost in Transit," and "History Lesson"

Genres: Nonfiction

294 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Alice De Parres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most sweeping, poignant books I have ever read. Mark Fritz captures the human spirit and the plight of refugees around the world with tremendous sensitivity and insight. A must read.

[Steven Denton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very nice collection of stories, which show humanitarian crises from an individual human perspective. Topics covered include East Germany, Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia/Croatia.

[CTEP]

Lost On Earth by Mark Fritz is a book that examines the refugee experience from various angles, including the global situations that put them there, the experience of humanitarian aid workers, as well as the experience of the actual refugees themselves. Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Somalia, and East Germany are the main geographical areas that the book focuses on. In each case it describes the history of the conflict, then highlights the experience of a specific individual affected by the refugee experience. In regards to the historical context, the book does a good job of describing the cultural and historical origins of each conflict as well as the handling of the situation by military forces and outside political powers. Through the individual profiles, the book illustrates what it is like to be bounced around from location to location as a refugee, the discrimination experienced by the refugee at the hands of the host population, and the general uncertainty of refugee life. The comination of historical context and individual profiles gives the reader a well-rounded understanding of each situation.

This book relates to my service in that I work with refugee populations on a regular basis, and wanted to learn more about the situations and conflicts from which they come. Although it was eye-opening in certain parts, I thought that the first half of the book was pretty dry and drawn out. So, I would reccommend this book to anyone curious to learn more about the historical context of refugee situations, however if you're looking to read more about the personal experience of refugees, you might want to look elsewhere.

[Karmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another difficult book to read detailing the mass forced migration within and out of various countries beset by internecine warfare since the early 1990s.

Mark Fritz traces this migration so eloquently and simply. Covers the impact of the Berlin wall collapse and former eastern bloc countries all the way to the breakdown of the Soviet empire. South to Africa as so many nations imploded once the communist-capitalist war stopped as did the aid and interested. Back to Europe and the Balkans again.

I have a somewhat vested interest. I am Slovenian by birth to a Slovene mother and Austrian father. My stepfather is Croatian. Neither of us nor any family over there were directly affected by the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Yet, we fought over the fact that NATO was toothless and the EU countries did nothing - all looked to the US for help. The UN is also hopelessly bureaucratic, bloated and inefficient not to mention without an actual mandate to be able to engage and prevent any harm to persons without in a "conflict zone".

Finally, it's a wake up call to everyone in the world to open up their arms to the less fortunate (as my parents once were) not close their borders out of fear.

[Marc Rocket · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books that will help you understand how the world works and also entertain you.

Fritz details how people lives have changed all over the world with the fall if the UUSR. It's a very human tail of a global crisis.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about refuges and tells their stories of displacement and loss. It covers many of the political hotspots of the genocidal wars of the last decades ….wars in countries that have killed millions and displaced millions as they fled bloodshed and death. well done!

[David Wen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a collection of short non-fiction stories but he weaves the tales together well and paints the world in an unflattering light. Very depressing hearing about these event occurring around the world and makes you think if peace can ever exists.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a magnified look at the lives of refugees with a focus on Bosnia. When moving from chapter to chapter, it 's a good a idea to have a timeline on hand or a map to refer to.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!