A cruel paradise indeed. Doctors Without Borders nurse Leanne Olson conveys the weight of this oxymoron in her editorialized journal. Her life as a relief worker in wartorn nations shows the depths of cruelty and kindness in ways she could not have imagined.

Ironically, like the title, the book is somewhat of a contradiction itself: a fascinating story sadly in need of a proper copy editing job. Poor sentence structure, repetition, spelling errors, misused words, and colloquialisms plague the book. These problems are both distracting and annoying and diminish what is otherwise a horrifying, though interesting, journey through one woman’s experiences.

If the reader can look beyond the book’s flaws, there is much knowledge to be gained – and perhaps an even greater respect for those who devote their lives to relief work. Olson explains the organization Doctors Without Borders at the outset, and then for each of her assignments, offers a brief but simple history of a given country’s issues. Olson tells of her experiences in Liberia, Bosnia, Burundi, Zaire, and Angola, each with an insight one can only gain from a position of neutrality. Olson is there to ease suffering and to save lives in any way she can – and she illustrates that objectivity is indeed possible if one focuses on helping others. Her story emphasizes the value of teamwork – and of eliminating the barriers of language and culture.

Details of Olson’s inner world, including her love relationship with a Dutch colleague, are scattered throughout the book. These elements complete a picture of Olson’s life, although her reflections sometimes seem juvenile. While she might be straining to show balance, the opposite is often the result: the intimate details throw the intensely serious subject matter out of whack.