When Kirsten Gelsdorf’s global development students revealed their “shame” and “despair” about the state of the world — because, she said, their knowledge of humanitarian issues comes from doom scrolling on social media — the University of Virginia professor decided something had to change.
The result was Read for Action, a book club using “the power of fiction” to enable a global community of readers interested in humanitarian crises to view them through a different prism, one informed by developing relationships with well-rounded book characters.
Adrienne Ghaly, an assistant English professor at the University of Virginia, who helped create Read for Action, took up the tale in a discussion at Devex’s flagship event staged in Washington, D.C.
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
