Larissa macfarquhar writes about extreme altruists, people who make great sacrifices to help others. Her profile subjects have included john ashbery, barack obama, noam chomsky, hilary mantel. Larissa macfarquhar is an american writer known for her profiles in the new yorker. New yorker staff writer larissa macfarquhar quite brilliantly focuses on this second group of individuals she calls dogooders in her thoughtful and wideranging strangers drowning. The beauty and the costs of extreme altruism the nation. Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help, a finalist for the helen bernstein book award for. Emily macfarquhar, who applied a scholars meticulousness to many years of reporting on china and south asia, notably in more than 20 years with the economist, died on march 18 in her home in. She has a very wellknown book called strangers drowning. Spend the majority of your income on saving others.
By madeleine schwartz globe correspondent, october 10, 2015, 6. Larissa macfarquhar has been a staff writer at the new yorker since 1998. Impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the urge to help. Search all larissa macfarquhar events and get last minute tickets with a 150% moneyback guarantee. The story, as maynard tells it in her new book, goes like this.
Due to an unexpected conflict, larissa macfarquhar was unable to participate in this event. Macfarquhar s book begins with a scene in a restaurant in which a philosophy student who has clearly read singers work is explaining to his professora family manwhy the welfare of. He worked as a purchasing manager at peircephelps, in philadelphia, a wholesale distributor of heating and airconditioning products. Cheap tickets to all larissa macfarquhar events are available on cheaptickets. Emily macfarquhar, who applied a scholars meticulousness to many years of reporting on china and south asia, notably in more than 20 years with. Voyages to the brink of moral extremity in which she profiles the true stories of extreme dogooders or those who devote their lives to help strangers rather than people they are close to through a sense of duty. In her first book, strangers drowning, larissa macfarquhar, a staff writer for the new yorker, reports a somewhat similar phenomenon. It was the day before thanksgiving, and paul wagner was on his lunch break, reading the paper. This writer spent years studying the most selfless people on earth. Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help seem decidedly ordinary in their circumstances. Strangers drowning by larissa macfarquhar a little blog. Macfarquhar has intrigued readers for decades as a staff writer for the new yorker. Biography and booking information for larissa macfarquhar, staff writer at the new yorker.
Larissa macfarquhar helps a daughter donate a kidney to. She says most of us arent prepared or willing to do that which is why we dont give more. Emily macfarquhar, 62, writer on asia for the economist. The kindest cut by macfarquhar, larissa the new yorker. Macfarquhar is one of the incredible finalists for nypls helen bernstein book award for excellence in journalism. Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help is a nonfiction book by larissa macfarquhar about the stories of extreme altruists what macfarquhar calls dogooders, who go far beyond the typical range of expectation or desire to help others, many of them relative or complete. She is a staff writer for the new yorker, considered by many to write the very best and most interesting profiles of anyone in the business. Strangers drowning by larissa macfarquhar bookforum magazine. Larissa macfarquhar describes her new book, strangers drowning penguin 2015, about extreme altruists and distrust of dogooders. Her profile subjects have included barack obama, the novelist hilary mantel, the poet john ashbery, the philosopher derek parfit, and the internet icon aaron swartz, among many others.
Contact all american speakers bureau to inquire about speaking fees and availability, and book the best keynote speaker for your next event. Stalins last american spy, in which she remembers the life of noel field, an ivy leagueeducated employee of the u. Larissa macfarquhar is a staff writer at the new yorker magazine. Roderick macfarquhar, a british journalist and onetime member of parliament who was also one the worlds foremost experts on chinas communist revolution led by mao zedong, died feb. Samaritans and other troublemakers larissa macfarquhar s superb book is about extreme dogooders, people whose selfsacrifice and. Cheap larissa macfarquhar tickets 2020 cheaptickets. Strangers drowning, larissa macfarquhar, author and narrator the book addresses the dogooders of the world, those who place the needs of others ahead of their own, those that want to bring compassion to everyone in need, those that want to save others regardless of the risk to themselves, those that do it instinctively and those that do it by. David magnus, director of the stanford center for biomedical ethics, graciously agreed to moderate the discussion should you be honest to the person about painful truths their parents are dead, they will never leave this nursing home or should you lie to keep them happy. Her profile subjects have included john ashbery, barack obama, noam chomsky, hilary mantel, derek parfit, david chang, and.
Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help. New yorker staff writer larissa macfarquhar is the author of strangers drowning, a book about extreme dogooders, the psychological origins of grand ethical commitments, and the existential contests embedded in a life of trying to do the right thing. This writer spent years studying the most selfless people. The day the interview ran, bob called me and said he didnt think it was a good idea to talk about editing and the contributions of editors, since the public likes to think everything in the book comes right from the author. When julia wise was about 22, she went to an orchard with her. In her recent book strangers drowning, larissa macfarquhar uncovers fascinating tales of extreme altruism and the reactions they elicit from others, from admiration to hostility. David grann, author of the devil and sherlock holmes and the lost city of z larissa macfarquhar has composed a compelling, lyrical saga of the saintly types that inspire both awe and puzzlement. Impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the urge to help macfarquhar, larissa on. Voyages to the brink of moral extremity, a new book by the new yorker writer larissa macfarquhar, we meet a lot of people who have committed similar, or. Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help, which profiles over a dozen uncommonly virtuous individuals who pursue committedly ethical livesoften at great personal cost. Strangers drowning by larissa macfarquhar the boston globe.
Larissa macfarquhar is a staff writer at the new yorker, since 1998, where she has written profiles of poet john ashbery, novelist hilary mantel, linguist noam chomsky, candidate barack obama, and many others. Goats and soda in her new book strangers drowning, larissa macfarquhar looks at the motives and methods of people who help. Grappling with impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the overpowering urge to help, by larissa macfarquhar, staff. This is the thought experiment that opens the book, strangers drowning. She is the daughter of the sinologist roderick macfarquhar she has written profiles on barack obama, derek parfit, hilary mantel, robert gottlieb, richard posner, chelsea manning and aaron swartz, among others.
These are some of the questions posed by journalist larissa macfarquhar in her 2015 book strangers drowning. Macfarquhar was born in london to the china scholar and former labour mp roderick macfarquhar and emily macfarquhar, a former east asia editor for the economist. A profound and deeply original book, strangers drowning will hold you in its grip and not let you go. The people featured in larissa macfarquhar s strangers drowning. The one thing maynard has done that everyone agrees is interesting is have a ninemonth affair with j. His most recent book is the ballad of abu ghraib 2008, an account of iraqs abu ghraib prison under the american occupation. Her superb book is about extreme dogooders, people. In the middle of the book he has a section on depression and suicide among the inuit in greenland and the. What does it mean to devote yourself wholly to helping others. The subtitle is impossible idealism, drastic choices, and the urge to help. Larissa macfarquhar s new book profiles extreme dogooders, people who have devoted their lives to good works. His classic shallowpond thought experiment inspires the titular premise of larissa macfarquhar s book strangers drowning.