A compelling and moving memoir about saving lives in one of the most dangerous regions in the world

The international bestseller
Shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

James Maskalyk set out for the coastal border town of Abyei, Sudan, in 2007. The newest Médicins Sans Frontières doctor in the field, he arrived with only his training, full of desire to understand this desperate region.

He returned home six months later profoundly affected by the experience. This is an illuminating and heartbreaking
account of saving lives in one of the most harrowing and dangerous places on earth.

'Maskalyk's soft prose is beautiful and invites with the right intimate details. He offers a rare window on the inner life of an aid worker, on what it means to be a humanitarian around the hard edges of war, and on the certain desire to go on.' James Orbinski, former President of MSF, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and author of An Imperfect Offering

'Visceral and immediate . . . As medical literature this book excels; as an insight into that exhilarating, life-changing step into chaos Maskalyk's account can hardly be bettered.' British Medical Journal

James Maskalyk set out for the contested border town of Abyei, Sudan, in 2007. The newest Médicins Sans Frontières' doctor in the field, he arrived with only his training, full of desire to understand this most desperate part of the world.

He returned home six months later profoundly affected by the experience. Six Months in Sudan is an illuminating and affecting account of saving lives in one of the most harrowing and dangerous places on Earth.