ISBN: 0 7190 6974 2 HB 172pp £40
Published by 
'As sensitive as it is scholarly, Reznick's account of the British culture of
care-giving during and after the Great War meets a long overdue need. We know
much about the physical and mental suffering inflicted by the war - about the
effects of its 'technologies of killing' and its 'rationalizations of
slaughter'. But when it comes to the pervasive humanitarianism that the war
also inspired we have remained almost in denial. Healing the Nation is a
dedicated exercise in the delicate removal of historical bandages and
historiographical blinkers. Poignant personal recollections of care, compassion
and camaraderie are but the half of it; exposed, as well, are the festering
rivalries and frustrations among and between the secular and religious agencies
involved. Around the provision of tent-huts, hospitals, and homes of recovery,
Reznick lays bare the bountiful differences between the self-constructed images
of the care-givers and the realities of their charity. Given the current
'crisis' in the practice and public representation of humanitarian aid, this is
a not untimely intervention by a deeply committed historian-practitioner.'
Reviewer: Professor Roger Cooter
