Joanna MacLean

The simple gift of two eggs and a lemon from a young boy becomes the symbolic title of Joanna MacLean’s remarkable book, chronicling her four years in Myanmar. Working with the Red Cross from 2002 through 2006, at a pivotal period in the country’s political transformation, MacLean’s memoir is an honest, intimate story of a fascinating, exotic people within a culture shaped by the pulse of Buddhism, a people of indelible spirit in the face of adversities.

The gift of Two Eggs and a Lemon is MacLean’s enchanting focus on the stories of people she met and learned from, and how such humble generosities bridge our understanding of human commonality.