Should Reads

The latest Should Read initially comes from my co-coordinator Rand, but I'm also reading it, so really it's a double recommendation.

In Rand's words:
For those of you looking for a great summer read, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. It's co-authored by activist Academy-award winning actor Don Cheadle along with former White House official John Prendergast, with an introduction by Senators Barack Obama and Sam Brownback. It's a smooth read that'll get you fired up about human rights abuses worldwide.

I'll add that the book gives an extensive, detailed history of this conflict and the Second Sudanese Civil War (which was a seperate conflict, but in many ways bled - quite literally - into what is now happening in Darfur. It is also on the verge of spilling over once more. Don Cheadle has been a great champion for the people of Darfur, and a strong activist, and I hope he continues to call attention to the gencoide.

I'd also advise people interested in following the news to keep an eye on the BBC website (not sure if I included that in the last should read, but if I did it's worth repeating). The BBC has an entire page dedicated to news about Sudan, and regularly runs stories about Darfur. And because it's known as a reliable, international news source, it can be trusted to be impartial and show multiple angles and facets to the conflict. The sheer amount of information the BBC has published on Darfur is almost overwhelming. It is certainly more than any other news organization I have seen. The page on the Sudan can be accessed here.

Their most recent article, on escalating violence in Northern Darfur, can be accessed here.