In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Southeast Asian tsunami, a professional writer and a gifted young photographer traveled to the "front lines" of Louisiana and Thailand with no agenda but to create a book to honor the survivors—efforts to rebuild their shattered communities. The Gift of Hope is that book—a vivid document of a time early in the recovery of these devastated regions, in the words of the people themselves: the Houma Indians of Terrebonne Parish, the Moken people of Golden Buddha Island, and the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward. The two travelers found amazing parallels on opposite sides of the globe, common stories of courage and hope in the midst of disaster and destruction.

Collectively and individually, we continually encounter new disasters, and more recent events tend to push older ones from our consciousness. The faces we see photographed in The Gift of Hope, however, offer us a timeless vision of the human spirit's ability to rise above even the greatest destruction, while the voices we hear speaking from these pages encourage us to take heart. We may be moved by these stories, filled with compassion for the individuals who lived through such anguish, but we also receive a gift in return, one that is both practical and spiritual, both personal and universal—the gift of hope.

Selling for $24.95 one-third of the proceeds directly supports Habitat for Humanity International's "Operation Home Delivery" (2005 hurricane relief fund), and the Give2Asia/Asia Foundation tsunami relief fund.