In the Journal of African History Jonathan Benthall reviewed Daniel Maxwell and Nisar Majid‘s book Famine in Somalia: Competing Imperatives, Collective Failures, which was published in 2016. In the book, Dan and Nisar examine how to decrease the risk of future tragedies in Somalia with humanitarian action in order to not repeat mistakes made in response to the famine in Somalia between 2011 and 2012. The review says that the “book sets a high standard for future retrospective analyses of major disasters and endeavours to avert and alleviate them” and that it “is an indispensable book which, if read and absorbed by decision-makers, might help to reprieve humanitarian action from condemnation to an eternal recurrence of failure.”

To read the full book review click here.