Tragedy often has a way of visiting those who can bear it least. And on January 12, 2010 this is exactly what happened toHaiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. At 4:53 PM on that day, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale hit a point just southwest of the capital city ofPort-au-Prince. In a just a few terrifying minutes, a vibrant city was devastated, and tens of thousands died. Immediately the scale of the tragedy was apparent - a nation that was already so often on its knees had been knocked to the ground. In this book, TIME magazine assembles words and pictures to provide a harrowing and sometimes heart breaking account of the earthquake, the devastation it left behind and the struggle that followed to save lives and put a shattered world back together. Combining stories of tragedy and chaos, desperation and miraculous rescue, it offers a powerful vision of one terrible day and the difficult days that followed, as the world responded with an outpouring of aid that overwhelmed Haiti's blocked roads, damaged runways and barely functioning national government. Dozens of vivid photographs document the pain and grief of the victims and the heroism of the rescuers. In a personal essay, former President Bill Clinton also offers his assessment of Haiti's most urgent needs. Because those needs are so great, TIME will donate a share of all proceeds from this book to Haitian relief efforts.