The letter no one would read by Andrew Penny

The letter no one would read by Andrew Penny is a very special book. This was written by a fellow volunteer, who is now working in Ukraine. He is volunteering at one of the places I go to and we talked many times. During my last trip to Ukraine, I couldn’t read the book as it was on loan to another volunteer. I was able to borrow it this time and I am so happy I was able to do that. The book is wonderful and in his way of telling stories. I enjoyed it a lot.

I should mention that the book has no mentions of Ukraine, this is a memoir of his work after 9/11 and a trip to Pakistan to see the Afghani refugees. The book was published years before he arrived in Ukraine. The copy I borrowed was one of 25 in a special edition. It also had a couple of bookmarks that Andrew used. I love how obvious it was that the book was read often, most likely passages of it. It made the whole experience of reading a book so much more special.

Andrew’s story starts on 11 September 2001, as he volunteered after the terrorist attack. He was one of many who helped rescue people who were trapped under the rubble. His recollections were moving to read and the way he described the teamwork was lovely.

After the invasion of Afghanistan, Andrew wanted to see the impact on their lives first hand. He flew to Pakistan and went to a camp near the border with Afghanistan. There he met a Pakistani priest at a Roman Catholic Church who helped him very much. He lived for a month in his house and attended the church. He was also helped to find Afghani refugees. The trip was fascinating for this reason too, the meeting of Christians and seeing their world through their eyes. His interactions with the Afghans are described beautifully. It is obvious from the book, and from our own chats, that he was changed by this trip and by what he saw.

The name of the book is a reference to a letter he was given by the priest. In that letter he was asking for help from the Christian community, for who was harder to find the proper funds considering that Pakistan is a poor country and also an Islamic country too. The book is well worth reading.

The letter no one would read by Andrew Penny

Details about the picture: picture taken in Lviv, Ukraine
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Austin Macauley Publishers
Year it was published: 2020
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): Memoir
Pages: 198

About the author: Andrew Penny was born in southern Europe at a time of extreme poverty. He became orphaned at an early age and was eventually adopted by an American family. His new life would forever be changed from certain poverty to a promising new future that afforded him the opportunity for an education, to explore the world and choose his own life path. Throughout his life though, no matter what professional path he would choose, his past as an orphan never escaped him. It had a great impact on his beliefs for human rights and humanitarian causes throughout the world. His involvement in fundraising in the past two decades focused on education for poor and minority youth, and economic opportunities for the less fortunate around the world. His beliefs and convictions come through well in his book.
He works as a civilian volunteer in Ukraine for a year.
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