This book tells the story of Ethiopia, the place, the people, and the westerners that tried to help. The first journalist to reach the centre of the famine in 1984, Peter Gill draws on interviews with villagers, politicians, aid workers, and economists and asks whether any of the rich world's big promises on aid and Africa are being fulfilled.

`Thank God for great journalism. This book is a much needed, exhaustively researched and effortlessly well written recent history of Ethiopia. A book that strips away the cant and rumour, the pros and antis and thoroughly explains the people, politics and economics of that most beautiful nation. A superb and vital piece of work by someone who clearly loves the country of which he writes.' Bob Geldof `No outsider understands Ethiopia better than Peter Gill. He combines compassion with a clinical commitment to the truth. He writes with verve and an eye for telling detail. The result is a major contribution to the compelling story of this remarkable nation.' Jonathan Dimbleby `Famine and Foreigners is the essential book on Ethiopia, the world's crucible for hunger and poverty -- and development theory and practice. Moving between the lives of ordinary Ethiopians and the controversies among their leaders and the theoreticians of international development, Peter Gill guides the reader through a fascinating story of suffering, resilience and enthusiasm - often misguided - for formulae for development.' Alex de Waal, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and author of 'Famine Crimes' `The great Ethiopian famine changed everything and nothing. It fundamentally altered the rich world's sense of its responsibility to the hungry and the poor, but didn't solve anything. A quarter of a century on, we're still arguing about the roots of the problem, let alone the solution, and - though there has been progress - Ethiopia's food insecurity gets worse, not better. Peter Gill was one of the most thorough and effective television journalists of his generation. He was there in 1984 and his work at the time added up to the most sensible, balanced and comprehensive explanation of what had happened. Twenty-five years later, he's gone back to test decades of aspiration against the realities on the ground. It's a book that bridges journalism and history, judicious analysis with a strong, and often gripping, narrative. Always readable, but never glib, this is a must for all those who think there is a simple answer to the famine, still waiting in the wings.' Michael Buerk

Tells the story of what's happened in Ethiopia over the 25 years since Live Aid Asks whether we did change the face of poverty, close the gap between rich and poor, and fulfil the promise of 'development.' Written by the journalist who got to the centre of the famine before anyone else Includes media stories never told before including Jonathan Dimbleby's TV roles in famine coverage Features many exclusive interviews, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz on his rows with the IMF

Peter Gill has specialised in developing world affairs for most of his career, an interest that began as a VSO teacher in Sudan and his first visit to Ethiopia in the 1960s. In the 1970s he was South Asia and Middle East Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph. For TV Eye and This Week, he made films in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation, in Gaza and Lebanon, in South Africa under apartheid and in Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia during the famine years. He made Mr Famine for ITV about corruption at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and Clare's New World about Clare Short, DFID and its first White Paper Eliminating World Poverty. From 1999- 03, he headed the India office of the BBC World Service Trust. His first project partnered Indian broadcasters in leprosy campaigning that brought 200,000 patients forward for cure, this led to a £5 million project on HIV/Aids awareness. He has is author of Drops in the Ocean, A Year in the Death of Africa and Body Count.

Tells the story of what's happened in Ethiopia over the 25 years since Live Aid Asks whether we did change the face of poverty, close the gap between rich and poor, and fulfil the promise of 'development.' Written by the journalist who got to the centre of the famine before anyone else Includes media stories never told before including Jonathan Dimbleby's TV roles in famine coverage Features many exclusive interviews, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz on his rows with the IMF