AC

it's been quite some time since I picked up a book and actually finished reading it. Just last week alone I managed to finally finish one book on American Culture that I have borrowed since months ago, completed another book (which this post is about) and started on a new one.

I forgot how much I loved reading and how much I've missed it. Ever since the advent of the internet, you tend to get lost amidst all the clicking and youtubing and browsing and emailing and facebooking that the simple joy of being able to physically hold a book in your hands and feel the texture of paper has been lost. plus, it being summer there's a bit more time to do some reading.

So, the book that I picked up was by Anderson Cooper called "Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival".



Now the 1st time I ever heard of Anderson was when I started following the political uprising that occurred in Egypt. As I delved more into the topic, I came across this CNN journalist that was actually in Egypt at that moment giving live feed over his nightly show called Anderson Cooper 360. I admired his courage in reporting and also his passion for what he does.

A bit more digging and I found out that he had written a book on his past journalistic experiences. And whaddya know, he even covered Hurricane Katrina and Haiti. Having stepped on NOLA's (New Orleans, Louisiana) soil, I felt that I needed to get my hands on it.

In this book, Anderson covers aspects of his private life and his struggles as a person with a past that he wants to just erase. His poignant story telling shows that there are many layers to a person and that the face or facade that they show to the world on a night time show hides the complexity of the individual.

Some of the stories (especially the war ones) were quite graphically described that I was cringing so much at one point that my housemate asked me what was up. Haha...

The story that really struck home was his retelling of the occurrences and the conditions of MS and LA after Katrina struck. Having been down there for a week and having an idea of how it was, I could not believe that it was far far worse than I had ever imagined. The death. The suffering. The feeling of lost. Abandonment. The excuses. It makes you realise that however "developed" and "progessive" a nation is, that sometimes even they might not be able to handle their own crisis well.

I managed to finish the book in a record 2 days:)

I thank Anderson for publishing this book. For letting the world know the horrors of Katrina. For infecting ppl with his enthusiasm and love for journalism. And for being true to himself.

You can follow Anderson on twitter at @andersoncooper. He'll also be hosting his very own show that will debut in September this year. All the best AC!