What does it mean to devote yourself wholly to helping others? In Strangers Drowning , Larissa MacFarquhar seeks out people living lives of extreme ethical commitment and tells their deeply intimate stories; their stubborn integrity and their compromises; their bravery and their recklessness; their joys and defeats and wrenching dilemmas. A couple adopts two children in distress. But then they think: If they can change two lives, why not four? Or ten? They adopt twenty. But how do they weigh the needs of unknown children ...
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What does it mean to devote yourself wholly to helping others? In Strangers Drowning , Larissa MacFarquhar seeks out people living lives of extreme ethical commitment and tells their deeply intimate stories; their stubborn integrity and their compromises; their bravery and their recklessness; their joys and defeats and wrenching dilemmas. A couple adopts two children in distress. But then they think: If they can change two lives, why not four? Or ten? They adopt twenty. But how do they weigh the needs of unknown children in distress against the needs of the children they already have? Another couple founds a leprosy colony in the wilderness in India, living in huts with no walls, knowing that their two small children may contract leprosy or be eaten by panthers. The children survive. But what if they hadn't? How would their parents' risk have been judged? A woman believes that if she spends money on herself, rather than donate it to buy life-saving medicine, then she's responsible for the deaths that result. She lives on a fraction of her income, but wonders: when is compromise self-indulgence and when is it essential? We honor such generosity and high ideals; but when we call people do-gooders there is skepticism in it, even hostility. Why do moral people make us uneasy? Between her stories, MacFarquhar threads a lively history of the literature, philosophy, social science, and self-help that have contributed to a deep suspicion of do-gooders in Western culture. Through its sympathetic and beautifully vivid storytelling, Strangers Drowning confronts us with fundamental questions about what it means to be human. In a world of strangers drowning in need, how much should we help, and how much can we help? Is it right to care for strangers even at the expense of those we are closest to? Moving and provocative, Strangers Drowning challenges us to think about what we value most, and why.
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Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $2.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
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Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $2.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $2.28, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
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Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $2.32, very good condition, Sold by The Maryland Book Bank rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $5.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
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Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $6.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by Bookmarc's rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from La Porte, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
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Very Good. No Jacket as Issued. BE1-An advance uncorrected proofs paperback book in very good condition that has some bumped corners, wrinkling and crease, light tanning and shelf wear. Elegant, provocative, and unforgettable, Strangers Drowning illuminates those remarkable few who know they are their brother's keeper-and act on it. 9"x6", 343 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Add this copy of Strangers Drowning: Grappling With Impossible Idealism, to cart. $7.59, new condition, Sold by Your Online Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Penguin Press.
