Don Cormack, bestselling author of Killing Fields, Living Fields (OMF/MARC) writes a review specially commissioned for Triple Helix:

If not as a fly on the wall, then certainly as one of those ubiquitous little green lizards clinging to the ceiling, I was privileged to eyewitness some of the Cambodian adventures of British doctors Liz and Tim Anderson, now accessible to all in this out-standing book.

You know at once this is not going to be just another paperback. It is authored by a woman who matriculated from Newnham College, Cambridge in 1948, the first year in which women were accepted as full members of Cambridge University. But here is no self-important crusader. Dr Anderson's strength lies in her spirit of self-forgetfulness, winsomeness and pure delight in bringing pleasure to others. The Cambodians dubbed her Lok Yiey, 'Madam Grandma', a title of high esteem and affection. In Cambodia, age and wisdom are honoured. How refreshingly 'foolish' are these two elderly 'naive' doctors from middle England, who throw caution to the wind and head off to one of the armpits of the world with VSO, an organisation generally associated with adventurous youngsters. Nevertheless, into the chaos, trauma and serious danger of post 'killing fields' Cambodia went Dr Liz and her devoted husband Dr Tim to whom the book is dedicated.

First they face the massive cultural divide and complexity of the Khmer language. They must learn to cope with the extreme climate and harsh realities of a nation still reeling from the prolonged terror of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, followed by occupation by communist Vietnam. With generosity of spirit and a seemingly unquenchable sense of humour, they plunge into a maelstrom of corruption and impurity where life is cheap, guns and gold rule, and the law of the jungle is supreme. They were sheep among wolves and herein lay the secret of their success. They were humble, teachable, aware of their inadequacy.

Pitchforked into the 'vanity fair' of contemporary Phnom Penh with no prenegotiated blueprint to follow, Liz has to find her way through the physical and metaphorical wreckage of the capital's medical scene. Willing to fit in where she can and do virtually anything and everything by year two, Liz, along with her Cambodian colleagues, is able to pioneer a strategic medical initiative in Phnom Penh's largest red-light slum.

The medical, financial and bureaucratic challenges she faces, the ethical dilemmas, and the lengths to which she is prepared to go to actualise this revolutionary concept of a clinic and education centre right where the girls are, inside a local brothel, is the climax of the book. We learn much about the lives of the thousands of teenage girls swept up in the massive sex trade, the madams, the clients and the plague of STDs and spiralling HIV-positives which result: 'These are the prostitutes, frightened children hiding behind their clowns' masks of powder and paint, only their eyes betraying their misery' (p242).

Material for the book is drawn from vivid reflections distilled in her personal journal at the time. It is therefore a most thoughtful, intelligent and beautifully written work. She writes with great artistry and turn of phrase, whether describing a delightfully tacky hotel, a perilous journey through Phnom Penh traffic or detailing tropical diseases and medical procedures.

The book provides interesting political and religious background and is complete with helpful photographs. We learn to share her genuine admiration for Cambodian doctors like the unsinkable Dr Vathiny, working tirelessly for long hours in unimaginable filth and inadequacy, for a mere ten dollars a month. We eagerly await news of the latest escapade of the incorrigible 'artful dodger' Ret S'mai, their guard. We are transported to Cambodia by this book.

You will not be able to put it down. It clips along, propelling the reader through laughter and grief. But its real strength is the spirit of the author which radiates from every page, an authentic spirit of simplicity, dogged faithfulness and courage. This account of the author's two whirlwind years in Cambodia reminded me of a kind of a latter-day Bilbo Baggins, who, with a simple willing heart and a gentle good-naturedness, unself-consciously takes on all the accumulated darkness and naked evil of Mordor, 'killing fields' Cambodia.

My wife and I laughed and wept, sighed and prayed our way through all the ups and downs, encouragements and setbacks. It was grieving to see how much of the time and energy of these two quite outstanding doctors was expended just on keeping body and soul together. They might have accomplished so much more with better support. And yet, therein, lies the irony. The fragrance which flowed from them to the Cambodian people might not have done so had they not been so 'weak', so physically and emotionally crushed. And I do not want to be on the side of Judas, protesting 'Why this waste?' They did something beautiful for God which gave him pleasure.

And for this most tragic and enchanting of nations, I covet workers with the heart of Liz Anderson. Anyone considering humanitarian service in Cambodia or in any other part of the world's cesspools, near or far, should read this book; not because it is an excellent case study, a 'how to do', but because it is a 'how to be', in the spirit of the greatest of all who went forth with healing in His hands.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. It is a rebuke to the growing spirit of ageism and narcissism in our culture. It lays bare the vital issues of cultural sensitivity and partnership in such overseas work. It declares how much needs to be done and can be done even in the most unpromising situations. It encourages us to realise just how much one single-minded person can do, even with minimal resources, if they possess resources of the heart.