Poor Story: An Insider Uncovers How Globalisation and Good Intentions Have Failed the World's Poor - Tapa blanda

"superbly lucid and readable" (The Guardian)

"heartening book on Africa and remedies for its plight....Bolton doesn't rant or preach; he tells hopeful stories as well as explaining tragic failures; he balances hard facts with strong ideas" (The Independent)

"Engaging, absorbing and enlightening - everyone interested, from the aid worker to the armchair activist, should invest in this book. If Poor Story doesn't win your heart and mind to the cause of ending extreme poverty, nothing else will." (Oxfam website)

"A vivid account of the everyday problems facing African countries....the section on aid is interesting and comprehensive...the section on trade is just as throught-provoking" (Financial Times)

"A shocking account...clearly, intelligently and sensitively written...an important, fresh perspective on a long-running debate" (City AM)

For eight years, Giles Bolton worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries as far flung as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. Idealistic and committed, he was determined to make a difference, but instead found himself confronted by an appallingly wasteful global aid industry and a persistently unequal trade system. He also began to see how Africa was being ripped off in its relations with the West, and how the western consumer and taxpayer was also losing out as a result.

Born of both passion and frustration, Poor Story addresses the five crucial issues at the heart of this dilemma - Poverty, Aid, Trade, Globalisation and Change. Informed, engaging and jargon-free, the book draws on Giles Bolton's personal experiences to answer the questions behind the campaigns and concerts: Why is Africa still poor? What really happens to our aid money? How do trade rules affect the ordinary consumer at the checkout? And will the new promises made by Tony Blair and others finally make a difference?

Accessible to read yet radical in its scope, Poor Story is the definitive insider's guide to how globalisation is failing the world's poor.