Nine Hills to Nambonkaha by Sarah Erdman

Sometimes I'm sorely disappointed when I read a Peace Corps memoir because it is all about the person and includes little to no information about the place and people they volunteered with.  This one is vastly different from that.  Erdman tells little of herself but instead opens up the village of Nambonkaha to you and introduces you to some of its people.

Erdman is selected to be a health worker in the village of Nambonkaha as her Peace Corps assignment.  For two years, she will work to bring better practices to the village and improve health there.  She chooses to do this through the women of the village by introducing baby weighings and vaccination programs.  She also focuses on AIDS education.  But she just introduces and actually uses the villagers to enact the change on the village and uses a variety of local people to accomplish these tasks.

I actually still don't feel as if I know much about Erdman.  Well, aside from the fact that she did a good job as a volunteer.  I know more about her village.  Because those are the people she described in the book.  You feel as if you especially know the ones she was close with.  The boys she taught to read, the women she interacted with on a daily basis, the nurse she worked with at the clinic.  All of these people she described the good and bad on (although mostly good) and took great care to outline their personalities.  It's what made this book worth reading.  Because she took the time to know who she was working with rather than focusing on herself.  And she is very non-judgemental, despite the practices that she abhors and witnesses.

That being said, this book is a long read because it is very detailed.  While I enjoyed getting to know all the aspects of village life and the challenges there were to overcome in the education of healthcare, I felt as if things were very repetitive and drawn out.  It was helpful that there was a glossary at the end for some of the translations and words specific to the village.  There were several times I had to look up just what an object was so I could understand it in context.  I also would have loved to see some pictures of the village and its people, so I could put faces to names.

If you enjoy Peace Corps memoirs or travel writing I think this will be a very good book to read.  It details the experience, not the person writing it, and is one of the more honest accounts I've seen.

Nine Hills to Nambonkaha
Copyright 2003
322 pages

Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Steve Zikman

This particular book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series is one of the better ones in my opinion. But maybe that's the wanderlust in me speaking. All I know is, I enjoyed a good portion of the stories in this book for the Traveler's Soul.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul series is known for short, inspiring stories. This one is no different, although it mostly goes over travel. But not travel in the usual sense of the word. We have a trip to the moon included in this book in addition to trips out of country. I especially liked the stories about the Peace Corps, and there were a couple in this book. I was glad to see they included that as part of their travel stories. But there were a few stories I didn't enjoy. It seemed a big portion of these were about small trips made by dying people or as part of a wish program for dying children. Yes, it is technically travel, but do they have to include stories that will make you cry in every one of these books? Just a light-hearted one in full once in awhile would be nice.

Because this involves travel, it talks about meeting people all over the world and what can be shared even if you don't speak the same language. There were stories where the people spent hours together even though they didn't understand each other. They didn't have to, because the feelings were there. And that's a beautiful thing. It seems that every traveling soul shares a common theme of wanting to meet different people. Because that's part of the whole traveling experience. And these stories showed that.

The short story format is a good one. You can read a story a night or sit down with the book for one read straight through. The enjoyment doesn't lessen either way. I do feel that this is one of their shorter collections though, which surprised me, because with the whole world as a topic, you wouldn't think there'd be a lack of stories. And surprisingly, this one had quite a few stories based on religion. Now I realize this is a Christian publication, but with the world having some many religions, I was surprised that these were so dominant in the book.

As said before though, I think this is one of the better Chicken Soup books. It inspires a love of travel and a want to see new things.

Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul
Copyright 2002
356 pages

The Gringo by J. Grigsby Crawford

Since I plan on joining the Peace Corps one day, I figured I needed to read a book that talked about negative aspects of the program just as much as I needed to read the positive ones. And this book fit that bill. Grigsby had several less than optimal experiences as a volunteer, and outlines them in this memoir.

Fresh out of college, Grigsby joins the Peace Corps and is placed in Ecuador. There he spends a few months in a coastal town that quickly proves dangerous and ineffective at the program they're trying to implement. After a kidnapping rumor, he is moved further inland to another town, where the program is dead on its feet and he does much of nothing all day. During this time he develops an illness that will persist through his entire service. And finally in the last part of his service, he works on a project that is actually effective.

Grigsby is not kind in his descriptions of the Ecuadorian people. There are only a few he seemed to like and I'm not sure if he just didn't encounter that many good people or if his personality was just not compatible with the culture of the Ecuadorians. I certainly don't want to believe that a whole people and culture are as terrible as he describes them. But at least he tries to tell things as they are without sugarcoating it. And the few people he does like are warmly described. And he doesn't really get anywhere with his projects in the Peace Corps which seems to be largely because of an ineffective coordinator and management system in Ecuador. This could have a great bearing on his views of the Ecuadorian people. If you see bad all day, it becomes the whole experience for you.

Despite everything he goes through, Grigsby does insert some humor into the book. Anyone who can complain with such cheer about pain in his testicles for extending periods of time has some moxie. And he writes in an engaging way, you have to keep reading to see if things turn out any better. I should warn that there are descriptions of genitals, cussing, and other things in this book that some readers may not enjoy. If you are a person who enjoys less graphic encounters with books, this is not one you should read. The overall message of his experience isn't positive, which is disheartening. And while I disagree with his view that perhaps the Peace Corps should retire, I respect him for telling his story and arguing some good points. It would seem that some areas of the system do need an overhaul, especially in Ecuador. But from everything else I've read on the subject there are positives to the Peace Corps program and I take the optimist view that if it makes the difference in one person's life, it was worth it.

I do have to note that there is one section in this book that I didn't really like. Grigsby tries out one of the local hallucinogens and has a very bad trip. Now I'm not against the mention of drugs, but rather the way it was presented in this book. While everything else is largely clinical in the book, this particular chapter delves into the incoherent ramblings of a drug induced mind. And reads as such. It just didn't fit with the rest of the book and was tedious to read.

Not the most comfortable of reads, but a good one if you're interested in the Peace Corps and want to know the not-so-good side of things. Because if you're doing something that big with your life, you need to look at it from all perspectives.

The Gringo
Copyright 2013
225 pages

Kosher Chinese by Michael Levy

I'd like to join the Peace Corps someday.  And I had thought that if I did, I would very much like to serve in China.  So this was a good book for me to read, as it brought about some things about volunteering in China that I would never have thought about.  Plus, the author is just downright funny.

Michael Levy decides to join the peace corps and is shipped off to China where he is to be a language teacher.  There, he faces each day with students who are eager to learn, but not in a way he is accustomed to.  And to add to this, he comes from a Jewish background, which makes him a little different than the Americans the Chinese he meets have experienced before.  It makes him an oddity among oddities yet still able to have mostly positive interactions with his community.  Having come down from the strict rules of Mao, they are still finding their way in a new government in which things are very different for them.  But he makes numerous friends and even joins a basketball team.  And while there is some culture shock, he loves the job he is doing and truly enjoys the company of the people he meets (except for the guy who punches puppies).

This book is mostly about the people Michael interacts with.  From businessmen, to his basketball coach to the students, they all are different from him, but he is surprised to learn how different from each other they are as well.  Not only are some of them just trying to make a better life for themselves, they are experiencing new trends in their culture like popular music, the notion of romance, and holidays from other countries.  And while these may seem like silly things to be obsessed with, it's such a difference and such a freedom that wasn't there before that these are big things.  And I like the way he describes everyone as being so enthusiastic about things.  You rarely see someone get that excited for Christmas or pizza here that it's refreshing.  He has a few students that identify with the Communist party but he even describes them as being deeply intelligent with good points on a lot of topics and is fair to them even though their views differ from his own.  Actually that's about the best compliment (although there are many) that I could give Michael; he is exceedingly fair to everyone around him.

This is definitely a memoir and covers the two years that Michael spent in the Peace Corps.  While it made me rethink my China notion because of some of the customs there I might have trouble with (learning to eat dog, contests not being fairly won, not being able to exercise in some parts because of air quality) it still made me realize I want to be a volunteer, no matter where I would end up.  There are so many opportunities and learning experiences and while you may not be lifting people from poor living conditions in every case, you can still do a lot of other things like provide education and cultural understanding.  And sometimes that is just as important.  I do have to say the book was a little fast paced, I could have kept on reading it because I was so enthralled and it ended too soon for me.  Michael is a very funny guy and his humor comes out in his writing.  He isn't afraid to make fun of himself either, which is a very important quality.

A great Peace Corps memoir and one I would highly recommend.  If nothing else it made me aware that if I was to go to China, I need to work on my drinking in order to keep up with their social norms.  Drunk on one wine cooler just isn't going to cut it.  Four and a half stars from this reader for an enjoyable memoir.

Kosher Chinese
Copyright 2011
240 pages

The Springs of Namje by Rajeev Goyal

In my quest to find out if the Peace Corps is right for me, I'm picking up as many books about travel and the Peace Corps itself to read about other's experiences and memories of their time. This was a very good book, and it certainly gave me a lot more history on the Peace Corps than I knew before.

Rajeev Goyal spent two years in the Peace Corps in Nepal. First in one village where he was teaching, but was moved because of upheaval caused by the political tensions in Nepal, and then to Namje, a small town where he also taught. But he did much more than teach in Namje, because it was a village with scarce access to water, Goyal started an initiative to create a pump to pump water from a distant river to the town. His goal was to better the lives of the people there. After his term was over, he moved on to Washington DC, where he became part of an initiative to secure more funding for the Peace Corps. The goal was 450 Million, and the amount asked for equivalent to 5-6 hours of what we spend on our forces in Iraq (figures obtained from the book). That's right, it's in the millions, which when it comes to a government agency, is a small number. He details his struggle at getting this amount and the lobbying he does with lessons learned from his time in the Peace Corps. In the last part of the book, he returns to Namje and Nepal to further work at improving peoples lives through permaculture programs.

Goyal is very generous to those people he gives descriptions of in Nepal. It was easy to see that he really connected with the people in the villages and had great respect for them. He truly wanted to get to know their culture and not change it, but improve living conditions for them. I would say he definitely embodied what the Peace Corps is supposed to be about. When he returns to DC his descriptions are less than flattering of some of the government officials that he has to deal with, but seeing his plight I can kind of agree with him on some of those descriptions. It's hard to face so many walls when you're not asking for much in the grand scheme of things. But even when he's being unflattering I think he is still fair, he never outright insults anyone who turns him down (excepting one representative from TX and I completely agree with him on his thoughts for that guy).

I enjoyed the part of the book that Goyal spent in Nepal. It was descriptive, inspiring, and it really made me see what good a volunteer can do. Not that everything Goyal did was good; he was very realistic in the failures he had as well and what he learned from them. The part where he's running around DC I wasn't as fond of. It's not that it wasn't informative, it certainly was. But it was so rushed and so many names mentioned that I could feel myself getting confused and having to reread paragraphs several times to get an idea of what he was doing. I think slowing it down and expanding on that section could have done a world of good for the book. As it was, I still got the importance of the matter and the disappointment when the requested funding didn't come through for the Peace Corps. One can only hope that in the future that will change. Because it deals with politics as well, there are bound to be some people who are insulted by the ideas presented in this book. I don't think Goyal leans too heavily towards any one party, but I also know when it comes to politics people have strong opinions.

I would have liked to see more on the results of the work he's doing in Nepal now, but it's understandable that it's not included. This book was published and he's still working on it so hopefully another book is still in the making. I would definitely read it if there was one. A splendid book on a Peace Corps member's experience and an inspiring way to look at changing policy in DC, I would definitely recommend this book.

The Springs of Namje
Copyright 2012
210 pages

The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps by Dillon Banerjee

I'm going to join the Peace Corps.  Not right away of course, I still have responsibilities that I have to take care of before I can go (my parents would not appreciate me dumping two cats and two chinchillas on them).  But when I don't have those responsibilities anymore, I'm going.  After reading this book, I'm even more determined to do it. 

And it's not because this book is all sunshine and rainbows.  This book tells it as it is and I think its very truthful.  Banerjee has taken the time to answer all sorts of questions you could think of (or not think of!) about the Peace Corps.  He starts with the application process, and I've got to tell you, I didn't realize that there were some many needed qualifications to become a volunteer.  It's competitive!  Then he goes in to what to pack and what you can usually find in country.  Next is the actual training, since it varies from program to program, he offers the basics, but it does help to know how the training process takes place.  There's a short section on managing your money and then its on to "Living like the Locals" which gives an idea of what your accommodations will be.  There's a rather large section on Medical Concerns, which was nice because that's a big worry for some.  Next is a section on the postal service and phone calls and what's available.  There is a section on technology, and sadly for the technophobes out there, most gadgets are really not that useful where the volunteers are located.  There are also sections on other volunteers, what kind of work you'll be doing, and the rules of the Peace Corps.  It finishes out with how to travel around while in country and what to do after the stint in the Peace Corps, and of course useful appendices.

I learned so much from this book and voraciously read it.  Couldn't put it down in fact which made for a sleepy day the next day.  But that's ok.  As I said before it further convinced me that this is what I want to do.  I like the way he approached all the topics too.  He told what was good, what was not, and gave points of view from all different sides.  In fact, its very rare that I could find him be biased anywhere about anything.    There is a section on negative aspects of the Peace Corps, but he gave the reasonings behind these and balanced it out with the positives of everything.  Additionally, there are also a couple of scary sections, like sexual harassment and some of the illnesses.  But Banerjee takes the time to explain statistics and how these situations are handled and everything seemed to be well taken care of.  In fact, in most cases it wasn't really any different than the statistics here in the United States.

A fantastic book if you're thinking about joining the Peace Corps or volunteering overseas.  It really goes in depth on the program and could probably change a few peoples minds who are considering the program.  It at least gives all the facts honestly and is definitely a book I will be keeping around to peruse over and over.

The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps
Copyright 2009
181 pages