Maren's 'The Road To Hell'

Michael Maren, author of the newly released "The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity," will read from and discuss his book at Book Hampton in East Hampton on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

"The Road to Hell" is a narrative of good intentions gone awry, showing how the rich countries of the Northern Hemisphere have been propagating a culture of destructive dependency upon their southern neighbors.

Using Somalia as his chief example, but also discussing Rwanda, Kenya, and Bosnia, Mr. Maren shows how aid money and food have destroyed governments, subverted economies, and corrupted international charities.

More Than An Expose

The author has spent much of the past 20 years in Africa, first with the Peace Corps, Catholic Relief Services, and USAID, and later as a journalist, writing for Harper's, The Village Voice, and The New Republic.

His expertise is such that he will be testifying before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

But the book is not just an expose of the effects of charitable giving in the third world, it is also an engaging and humane story of a young American whose dedication to his development work destroys his own family and may, in the end, have done more harm than good.

Three Novelists

Gurney's Inn in Montauk will also host a reading on Saturday. Three local authors, Susan Pashman, Vincent Lardo, and Stacey Donovan, will read from their recent novels at 4 p.m. in the Cafe Monte.

Ms. Pashman, who lives in Sag Harbor, will read from her first novel, "The Speed of Light," which will be published in August by Permanent Press. The author taught philosophy for 15 years at Adelphi University and went on to practice corporate law for 10 years in Manhattan before settling in Sag Harbor to write full time.

Ms. Donovan will read from her second young-adult novel, "Who I Am Just Keeps Happening." She is a freelance writer/editor and also runs HamptonClick, a Web site (www.hamptonclick.com) for local artists and writers wishing to publicize their work.

Her first young-adult novel was "Dive." Like Mr. Lardo, she lives in Amagansett.

"Two Holes Of Water"

Mr. Lardo will read from his new mystery, "Two Holes of Water," two chapters of which have been published in The Star. The book, it may be guessed, is set in East Hampton.

For many years, Mr. Lardo wrote a column on the entertainment industry for The Advocate, a biweekly California magazine. His previous books are "China House," a modern Gothic tale, and "The Prince and the Pretender," a mystery.

All three writers are members of the Ashawagh Hall Writers Workshop.