James Maskalyk set out for the contested border town of Abyei, Sudan, in 2007. The newest Medicins Sans Frontieres’ doctor in the field, he arrived with only his training, full of desire to understand this most desperate part of the world.

He returned home six months later profoundly affected by the experience. Six Months in Sudan is an illuminating and affecting account of saving lives in one of the most harrowing and dangerous places on Earth.