The author of nine self-published books and seven pamphlets, Lawrence F. Lihosit reluctantly served in the U.S. Army Reserves during the closing years of the Vietnam War and enthusiastically volunteered for the Peace Corps (Honduras, 1975–77). An urban planner by trade, his continuing studies have included master’s coursework in urban planning at la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City, art and creative writing at Skyline College in San Bruno, California and education at California State University Fresno. He has worked in Honduras, Mexico, Alaska, Arizona and California.
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Whispering Campaign: Stories from Mesoamerica
iUniverse
2009
122 pages
$11.95 (order from Amazon)
2009 Peace Corps Writers nominee for Maria Thomas Fiction Award
“As in Chinatown or Ballad of a Thin Man, they go directly to the gut. The mix is a rich one.”
— Allen W. Fletcher, author of Heat, Sand & Friends
THESE SIX SHORT STORIES, inspired by Peace Corps service, act like a powerful magnifying glass, focusing upon telling details: a taxi driver unscrewing his license plate bulb; a young American bewitched by a female shaman waving a necklace of dried herbs; a strange unheeded warning that “Rodolfo is one of us — as much as can be expected;” the son of a salesman who travels south on a shoestring to dispel the curse of guilt and free the ghost of remorse; the island artist fueled by the tea of a lotus flower who carves driftwood with shards of imported soda pop bottles; and a child born as rain pings on a tin roof like a reed flute alternating high and low notes.
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South of the Frontera: A Peace Corps Memoir
iUniverse
2010
316 pages
$22.95 (order from Amazon)
2011 Recipient of Commendation from Congressman John Garamendi (CA, 10th District)
“In 1975, the author lost his job and took off with a couple of buddies on an odyssey through Mexico and Central America. Their adventures led them to the Peace Corps and Lihosit to the love of his life, a Mexican woman he married two years later. He certainly gives readers a sense of the adventure and challenge of traveling in Mexico and working in Honduras in the 1970s.”
— Peter Chilson, author of Disturbance-Loving Species
“Humorous, well-told, highly entertaining…You are in for an adventure.”
— Michael Schmicker, author of Land of Smiles
“A classic.”
— Craig Carrozzi, author of The Road to El Dorado
“PREMATURE MIDDLE AGE ESCAPED US and high adventure called . . .” begins the author in this humorous memoir about how Hard-Times became Good-Times. Following a job loss, a worn picture postcard ignites adventures South of the Frontera that leads to the Peace Corps. This is a vivid description of Mexico and Central America between 1975 and 1977. From basking in the Sea of Cortes alongside a pelican to learning to dance in Honduras, an original voice rings true with youthful curiosity and down-home wit and insight.
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Peace Corps Chronology: 1961-2010
iUniverse
05/09/2011
120 pages
$12.95 (order from Amazon)
2010 Peace Corps Writers nominee for a Special Publisher Award
“A great job! I am astonished at how detailed and thorough this work is.”
— P. David Searles, author of The Peace Corps Experience: Challenge and Change, 1969–1976
“I sure wish I would have had it or something like it while writing my history of the Peace Corps. But nothing like it has existed until now.”
— Stanley Meisler, author of When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the Peace Corps and Its First Fifty Years
USEFUL FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE PEACE CORPS, this easy-to-read book includes all notable activities related to America’s most iconic program. It describes the first half century of service during which more than 200,000 Americans volunteered to work in 139 countries. Inspired by JFK’s inaugural call — “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” — Volunteers from all 50 states traveled to tropical cloud forests, savannahs, prairies, deserts and frigid mountainous steppes to learn a new language and lend a hand.
