Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond

Did you know that John Prendergast also wrote this book? He did. <br />Let's not give <i>all</i> the credit to Don Cheadle. <br />Oh wait, I get it! Let's throw a celebrity name on the book and maybe, just maybe, someone will start to give a shit about something other than American Idol. Maybe someone will LEARN something and even more, DO something to stop the horrors going on in Darfur. (and elsewhere.)<br /><br />Think Pamela Anderson and PETA. Who knows how many people she's brought to the cause because of her <s>super awesome tits</s> deep concern for animals!<br /><br />As much as I complain about and hate on celebrities, one good thing they do with their fame and fortune is raise awareness. And for that I am thankful. Seriously.<br /><br />Here's my 4th grade book report:<br />The book briefly explains why genocide is going on in Darfur. <br />The book briefly describes the atrocities occurring in Darfur.<br />None of this is good.<br />Then the book tells how you can help. <br />This is good.<br /><br />The Cynic in me says, "WHY BOTHER!? We are set on destroying one another. Please pass the remote."<br /><br />The idealist in me thinks there may be hope. <br /><br />I hope the idealist wins.<br /><br />I give props to both Don and John for their efforts.<br /><br />(I would also like to admit that I am now smitten with the very amazing John Prendergast. Sexy and smart with a heart of gold.)<br /><br />Check out <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.enoughproject.org">http://www.enoughproject.org</a>.

Five stars for the subject, 2 stars for the actually book. I was excited to dive into a book I thought would cover the facts of these troubled African areas to give me a deeper understanding of the current conflict and human rights violations. What I found was a disorganized proposal of acronyms and memorable rhymes for how normal citizens can invoke "change," an honorable endeavor, but this is where this train of thought ends. Rallying, funds-raising, and generating awareness is fine and good, but what does this energy lead to? How might one apply it constructively for a positive outcome in these troubled areas, and what in this context is a “positive” outcome? Considering the projects America has taken on in the past, for human rights, our loss scores heavily outweigh our wins. <br />In general I found the book shallow and the authors rants somehow always coming full circle to once again reiterate over their all-too-impressive personal resumes. The manner the authors egotistically marred this book, I felt, was interestingly enough what I think America would do by trying to "fix" this situation from a third party perspective. Genocide is a product of a much deeper problem and I hope energy is put towards generating stimuli to assist places like Darfur to internally save themselves, because that is where true change and future comes from: within.

The genocide in Darfur has been getting a lot of much-deserved attention in popular and alternative media, and Darfur has been a rallying point for human rights activists and enhanced foreign policy advocates for the past four years. This book is by a couple of the higher-profile individuals working to make change. It details much of what has been happening there, what has been done or not been done to stop it, and, in the last couple of chapters, offers some steps that everyone can do to stop it. Check it, read it, make a change.

For years, I have turned a semi-blind eye to Darfur because the thought of genocide seems too big to handle...depsite feeling like I could make a difference in global health, I've always felt helpless to do anything against crimes against humanity. This book is NOT a detailed history about the Darfur crisis. There is some historical background, enough to give you some knowledge to discuss in conversation. It is an extremely easy read and it's interesting to see the transformation of Don Cheadle, an actor who I love, to become an activist. <br /><br />This book is about inspiring people that they can make a difference in the Darfur conflict and other regions of conflict (Somalia, Northern Uganda, etc.). It spends a lot of time giving examples of people who were moved to action and how these actions have made a difference. This book is definitely for lefties, particularly those who believe in the power of grassroots activism. <br /><br />Overall, low on intellect and high on inspiration. It's a challenging topic and I give kudos to the authors.<br /><br />For those who want more intellectual/policy stimulation, read the new report by the ENOUGH campaign and Center for American Progress, Plan B with teeth for Darfur, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/05/planb.html">http://www.americanprogress.org/issue...</a>

Wow. It took me forever to get through this book. Part of it was grading, pregnancy woes, and less frequent gym sessions, which all conspired against my reading time. But part of it was also that I was just the wrong audience for this book, I think. I appreciate everything the book is trying to do and am now equipped to write letters and otherwise be more active on the Darfur front; however, I didn't need so much motivating as much as clear information and resources. In fact, the most useful part of the whole book is probably the appendix at the end that offers a score of websites and other ways to get involved--that and the chapter(s) that explain the conflict itself, if you're not already familiar with it (and let's face it, even though I researched and edited an entire portion of a product on Darfur, it's hard to keep all of the parties and facts straight for more than a couple months at a time, if that). <br /><br />I also could have done without Don Cheadle in this book. Again, I appreciate that his heart is in the right place and that he's using his fame and connections for a good cause, but his sections were just too fluffy for me--he had to keep up his image as a cool actor, was trying to appeal to a less educated/less politically interested audience, etc. It just got old. <br /><br />Having said all that, if you have no idea what's going on in Darfur or why you should care, this is a good place to start.

If you want to become more knowledgeable about the crisis in Darfur, this is definitely the book to read. I enjoyed it and it is a fast read. Don Cheadle and John Prendergast really help you to be informed about what is happening in Darfur and neighboring countries. Also, they offer many recommendations on how we, as Americans can end the genocide.

I actually read this book as part of my research on Darfur....but it reads very easily and is very interesting. If you want to read about a current hot topic with politics and human rights, I highly recommend it. The topic itself is depressing but the two authors do a good job of constantly reminding the reader about what one can do to help.

This book is amazing. It gives you ways to get involved with the genocide and how to prevent it from happening again. If you consider your self a humanitarian- no if you consider yourself HUMAN read this book.

Brutality against helpless people has shocked the world many times during the past century. One would think, by now, with world organizations like the United Nations and large blocks of well-meaning people in every country, that such atrocities would no longer occur. But no! Genocide is right now occurring in Darfur.<br /><br />Author Don Cheadle starred in the movie “Hotel Rwanda,” in which he portrayed Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hotel manager who saved over one thousand people from death in history’s most violent genocide (800,000 people killed in 100 days). Cheadle teamed up with author Paul Prendergast, a career activist against regimes committing such crimes, to write this documentary “Not on Our Watch.” These authors urge a grass-roots movement to pressure governments to finally put a stop to such blatant crimes against humanity.<br /><br />Cheadle, moved by the character of the person he portrayed, and impressed when he finally met that person, Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana, realizing the agony they experienced in 1994 during the genocide in Rwanda, decided maybe he should do something to help prevent atrocities like this from ever happening again. In 2004, he teamed up with John Prendergast for a speaking tour and visits to Darfur to see first-hand what is happening there. Their book “Not on Our Watch” will both shock and sadden you.<br /><br />Intervention is a big commitment, and intervention can backfire on you, as we all know from the political second-guessing following the U.S. intervention against Saddam Hussein. Governments, including The United Nations, are wary of getting involved. They’ll do something that seems safe for them, like political censures and humanitarian aid. While helpful, these efforts do not get at the root cause: regimes that use genocide as a tactic against populations they want to control or eradicate.<br /><br />The authors point out that a three-pronged approach is needed: protection, punishment, and peacemaking. Protection of the victims, even if it entails some military intervention; punishment of the perpetrators by political pressure, economic isolation, and ultimate accountability and punishment by an UN sponsored world court; and peacemaking by encouraging the warring parties to a peaceful settlement of their differences and assisting them in rebuilding the war torn areas. This sounds easy to say, but we all know how difficult it is to implement. What can we, as individuals, do to promote this progress? The answer is the main theme of “Not on Our Watch.”<br /><br />Darfur is on our watch since we are alive during this genocide. We can pressure our governments to take constructive action. Since our government officials depend on our votes to remain in office, we can let them know that we don’t like what’s going on in Darfur, and we’re “mad as hell” that they aren’t doing anything about it. The authors quote Senator Paul Simon saying that if every member of House and Senate got 100 letters about Rwanda, the United States would have acted differently during the Rwandan genocide.<br /><br />The authors describe several incidents where grass root pressure on politicians encouraged them to take action where, ordinarily, they would not have taken action. This book is both a documentary on what is happening in Darfur (and what happened in similar atrocities in other parts of the world) and a guide to what we, as individuals, can do to help. The authors describe six strategies for effective change: raise awareness, raise funds, write letters, call for divestment, join an organization, and lobby the government.<br /><br />If you saw the movie “Hotel Rwanda” and wondered what would you have done had you been there, this book will explain what anyone can do no matter where they are.<br />

"Not On Our Watch" is a little dated for 2022, and the writing is a bit rah-rah for my taste, but I appreciate the historic information it included and the encouragement it gives to everyday people. Pendergast and Cheadle wanted people to leave feeling the spirit of grassroot change, and I think they were relatively successful in their attempt. <br /><br />I picked this book up at my local used bookstore (shout out Peace Nook in CoMo) after the high profile names on the cover caught my attention. I am also highly interested in the study of the prevention of global oppression. My knowledge of Africa is extremely limited, so this book seemed like a good choice. <br /><br />It was an okay read. The high-points are Cheadle and Pendergast's first hand experience, but the background information and activist tips are nothing to avoid. Because of the book's design as an activism manual, likely for people who have never been involved in a cause like that of anti-genocide, some section can be a little surface level for those who are more radical and experienced. There's nothing wrong with that, everyone needs to start somewhere and I appreciate the authors for making something actionable and easy to consume. Just wasn't the right level for me.