Personal Effects
What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living
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Personal Effects
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Narrated by:
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Adam Barr
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Robert A. Jensen
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By:
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Robert A. Jensen
About this listen
This program includes an introduction read by the author.
The owner of the world’s leading disaster management company chronicles the unseen world behind the yellow tape, and explores what it means to be human after a lifetime of caring for the dead.
You have seen Robert A. Jensen—you just never knew it. As the owner of the world’s largest disaster management company, he has spent most of his adult life responding to tragedy. From the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the Bali bombings, to the 2004 South Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haitian Earthquake, and the Grenfell Tower Fire, Jensen has been at the practical level of international incidents, assisting with the recovery of bodies, identifying victims, and repatriating and returning their personal effects to the surviving family members. He is also, crucially, involved in the emotional recovery that comes after a disaster: helping guide the families, governments, and companies involved, telling them what to expect and managing the unmanageable. As he explains, “If journalists write the first rough draft of history, I put the punctuation on the past.”
Personal Effects is an unsparing, up-close look at the difficult work Jensen does behind the yellow tape and the lessons he learned there. The chronicle of an almost impossible and grim job, Personal Effects also tells Jensen’s own story—how he came to this line of work, how he manages the chaos that is his life, and the personal toll the repeated exposure to mass death brings, in becoming what GQ called “the best at the worst job in the world.”
A rare glimpse into a world we all see but many know nothing about, Personal Effects is an inspiring and heartwarming story of survival and the importance of moving forward, Jensen allows his listeners to see over his shoulder as he responds to disaster sites, uncovers the deceased, and cares for families to show how a strong will and desire to do good can become a path through the worst the world can throw at us.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
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What listeners say about Personal Effects
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- S. Claridge
- 28-02-23
Good subject but slightly skewed
After a few hours of listening I came to the conclusion that Mr Jensen thinks it is rare to find anyone either competent or caring apart from himself, which is a shame as otherwise it was a good book. Perhaps it was just the writing style?
Speaking of which, it could also do with a bit of editing as it was one of those books where chapters could be read as standalone volumes which means a bit of repetition through out as you progress through the book as a whole.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lee
- 25-07-22
Really interesting
Such an interesting book. The author does such an important job and he writes about his career with compassion and empathy. I learnt such a lot about some of the worlds worst disasters and how people cope. The book contains some graphic details, not to shock but the reality of the particular disaster being described.
Well written and well narrated
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mike Green
- 25-04-23
An insight into the unknown
I found the book to be a fascinating insight into privatised work I never thought existed. A lot of lessons learnt along the way and a lot of tragedies recalled.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marie easey
- 13-11-22
Amazing so interesting
Wow what an interesting book very sad but really good to read about what happens highly recommend this
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nickster
- 06-06-22
Completely unique story, powerfully narrated
I had this book recommended to my daughter, she wasn’t wrong. Robert tells incredibly powerful stories that say everything about strong leadership and high performing teams, in the most challenging environments imaginable. Just mind-blowing. Thanks to you and your teams Robert, I don’t know how you do what you do, but I’m glad you do it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M. Pears
- 19-01-23
Fascinating
I really enjoyed this fascinating insight into a profession I did not know existed. I really hope Mr Jensen writes more books about his experiences
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rambling rose
- 13-09-22
Good listen.
I was a bit concerned about this in terms of potentially upsetting details. There is some of that but there is also a lot of compassion and humanity, it is also fascinating (and not at all mawkish).
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- ebba
- 30-06-22
Wonderfull
I lived this book, it is my feild and it is very accurate in my limited experience. The stories truly tugg at your heartstrings. I enjoyed the focus on the affected families. At times the stories did get a bit confusing as they are brought up on multiple occations. But overall absolutely amazing book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JenSurname
- 31-03-22
The insight you never knew you wanted
Loved this, an easy five stars from me.
It’s maybe not a subject that many think about, or those thoughts we do have may be fleeting, it’s a job that I imagine many are fascinated by but nobody actually wants to do.
Recovery of bodies, body parts, body fragments and the things we rarely give a thought to, the items that belong to the deceased when tragedy strikes, can’t possibly be a job for the faint hearted. What Robert Jensen shows in this book is it’s definitely a job for the big hearted.
Think of a major disaster, and Mr Jensen has likely been involved in the aftermath. The resilience of this man is astounding - I honestly don’t know how he isn’t massively traumatised by the things he must have seen and the jobs he’s had to do. But to do them with such care and obvious compassion takes a special kind of person, and I came away from this book thinking what a genuinely good man he seems.
He describes his work in just the right level of detail. Enough to give you an insight, but not so much that it feels exploitative.
Loved it. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-09-22
Absolutely fascinating read.
An incredible, eye opening read.
It is a detailed personal account of world's toughest job!
For true crime fans looking for something slightly different, I would definitely recommend.
Its inevitable that another disaster will take place on this planet, somewhere, sometime. And when it does, I will be thinking about the amazing people like Robert, who head right to the core, to do their very best to help the families of the people that have died and make sure they are able to say their googbyes and lay loved ones to rest.
Outstanding in every way.
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