Peace Corps Worldwide – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

Book Review: Carnival in Rio, by Steve Kaffen (Reviewed by N. Waheed Nasser)

Jan 16 2025

If there’s one word that describes Steve Kaffen’s latest book, Carnival in Rio, it’s “joyous.” Using narrative, stories, and striking photography, he presents what he calls “one of the world’s great spectacles” including its samba parades, street parties, championship soccer, and local color. He adds excursions along the coast and a journey into the Amazon rainforest, plus a section to help readers plan their Carnival visits. The coverage is complete due to his timing. He arrives a week early and observes the start-up excitement. “Carnival is a time when positive emotions dwarf life’s frustrations…. Everyone sports a costume, even if it’s a cute crown or an outrageous hat or shirt or, popular with children, sneakers flashing multi-colored lights.” He remains past the end and describes city life reverting to normal. He stays in three interesting areas: Copacabana, Ipanema, and Botafogo. Copacabana, he says, is famous for its beach and for . . .

Endless Horizons: A Global Backpacker’s Quest for Adventure, Connection, and Discovery

Jan 15 2025

New book by Peace Corps writer Paul W. Neville (Tonga 2000-02) Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (January 1, 2025) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 316 pages ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8393074708 Buy it now on Amazon.com It’s a pursuit of adventure, connection, and self-discovery. Each backpacker embarks on a unique quest, whether it be for adrenaline-pumping thrills, exotic cuisines, the perfect beach, or the elusive pursuit of love. For many, the journey is about better understanding the world and their place within it. From sweltering jungle temples to stunning Nordic fjords, Endless Horizons chronicles the evolution of a wide-eyed novice traveler into a seasoned adventurer. Following a transformative Peace Corps assignment in Tonga, the author embarks on an epic yearlong backpacking odyssey around the globe. Through Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America, Endless Horizons describes vibrant cultures, unforgettable encounters, comical mishaps, useful travel tips, . . .

New Book: Pursuing the Leviathan, by Paul Magid (Malawi 1969-71)

Jan 13 2025

Format: Hardcover Pages: 296 pages Illustrations: 3 Maps, 19 B/W Photos Published: June 17, 2025 ISBN-10: 1682473783 ISBN-13: 9781682473788 United States Naval Institute Press Overview Set in the golden age of whaling in the nineteenth century, this book brings to life the adventures of Benjamin Clough, best known for single-handedly rescuing the ship Sharon from mutineers in 1842. Clough’s heroism earned him a whaling command, which led to a whaling career that over the ensuing twenty-five years took him into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. The extraordinary event that merited Clough his promotion to captain occurred when he was just twenty-three years old. At sea since the age of sixteen, by 1842 Clough’s impressive skills and seamanship had earned him an appointment as third mate aboard the whaling ship Sharon. While most of the crew were in smaller boats pursuing whales, three Pacific Island crewmembers, enraged by their captain’s . . .

Peace Corps Community in the News (week of January 5, 2025)

Jan 11 2025

Hove author uses his fascinating personal experience of evading the Vietnam-era draft as a basis for his latest thriller, by Sophie Morgan in Sussex News | January 3, 2025. “Like my character, I was caught up in the Vietnam war draft lottery. Like him, I was going to go to Harvard Law School. Like him, I went to teach in a private school in Maine. Like him, I got a low number in the draft, meaning that I would be drafted and probably sent to fight in Vietnam. Like him, I had a humiliating medical examination. Unlike him, I took the exit route of joining the Peace Corps [considered national service in lieu of the military]. I was sent to a rural part of south India, where I learned the local language, which later led to my PhD and academic career. I was lucky. My character was not.” — Stuart . . .

Fiddler on the Roof of Africa by Derek Lowstuter (Ethiopia)

Jan 08 2025

Fiddler On The Roof Of Africa by Derek Lowstuter (Ethiopia 2010-12) Spring Cedars Publisher December 2024 277 pages $24.99 (Hardback) Available on Amazon Do you enjoy learning about far away lands and cultures? Do you have recurring dreams of pooping your pants in front of a foreign president? Have you ever begged neighbors for water to survive? Derek Lowstuter captures these realities of living and working abroad as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia. Fiddler on the Roof of Africa is a mix of academic study and personal observations—equal parts literature review, introspection, scholarly analysis, confabulation, with a pinch of classic ethnocentrism. Peace Corps service is exceptionally context specific, every Volunteer and every host community is unique. The reactions that take place between the two can be unpredictable and chaotic. The goal of this book is to address international development issues such as food aid, environmental conservation, cultural traditionalism, . . .

Opinion | The Hard Reality American Expats Quickly Learn, by Paul Theroux

Jan 07 2025

Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65), one of the most prolific Returned Peace Corps travel writers, provides an insightful rendition of the plight of expats. He reminds us with a quote from obnoxious nativist Pap Finn from the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that Americans have complained about the state of affairs here, and many have acted on the threat to find refuge abroad, which is ironic today when millions are putting their lives at risk coming here. Those leaving often are looking for something new, according to Theroux. Pap Finn’s rant, “A man can’t get his rights in a government like this. Sometimes I have a mighty notion to just leave the country,” inspired Theroux’s main character in The Mosquito Coast, Allie Fox, who despaired at America’s decline and took his wife and four children to Honduras. He was reminded of his “stubborn American self” and went too far, and his expatriation . . .

Tokyo-ing! by Eric Madeen e-book available for free this week on Amazon

Jan 06 2025

Bestselling author Eric Madeen has announced ‘Tokyo-ing! Three Novellas’ will be available at no charge in e-book format from January 6 through January 8, 2025 on Amazon. ‘Tokyo-ing!’ is an apt title for this trio of tales that chimes with anyone even slightly interested in Asia’s most dynamic metropolis and its glazing of layers – be they cultural or taking-wing exuberant. About Face — An American professor is trophy hunted by a wily student who then boasts of her conquest, sparking a full-blown scandal. Brought to heel in tradition, he fights for his dignity and what a down and dirty fight it is! Sobering Love — Told in first person female persona, a Japanese career woman is obligated to join after-work drinking sessions with her colleagues at behemoth ad agency Dentsu, leading to alcohol addiction and deteriorating health. There seems to be no way out, until she meets Frank, a . . .

Peace Corps Community in the News (week of December 29, 2024)

Jan 03 2025

In case you missed it, here are the top online media articles about the Peace Corps community published during the week of December 29, 2024. To receive email notifications, please subscribe to Peace Corps Worldwide. I figured out how to use two-thirds less water — and it only took a week to set up, by Victoria Namkung in The Guardian, December 29, 2024. While droughts are a natural feature of California’s climate, human-induced warming has made them even drier. After Eric Haas (RPCV Liberia 1985-87), 62, moved to Oakland in 2007, California was in a drought so severe a statewide emergency was declared. After experiencing drought conditions for several years, the California professor had a rainwater and greywater capture system installed at his highly efficient urban home to do his part to conserve water. How chocolate, vanilla, and spices brought 7 RPCVs together in Madagascar, By Bill Guyton (DRC 1984-86) . . .

Jimmy Carter’s grandson Jason speaks out on former president’s life, legacy

Jan 01 2025

Editor’s note: As America mourns the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, I have been amazed by the number of posts, blogs, and photo sharing by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who had the privilege to personally meet President Carter through their Peace Corps connection. Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn wrote “For over 50 years, President Carter, his mother Lillian Carter, and the entire Carter family have championed the Peace Corps’ work to advance world peace and friendship through international service.” Many RPCVs shared about meeting President Carter through the Lilian Carter Award; others through the Carter Center’s work to eradicate Guinea worm disease in Africa and Asia. I personally met Jimmy and Rosalyn a couple of times (though I regrettably have no photos of the occasions). At the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, where I serve as chief advancement officer, we are honored to count Jason Carter (RPCV South Africa, . . .

In Memoriam: Jimmy Carter, A Friend of the Peace Corps Community

Dec 29 2024

Dec. 29, 2024 Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Passes Away at 100 Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died peacefully Sunday, Dec. 29, at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. He was 100, the longest-lived president in U.S. history. Visit the Carter Family’s Official Online Condolence Book and Tribute Website.

Peace Corps Community in the News (week of December 22)

Dec 28 2024

Fred Lonidier’s casual photography: part I, by Nilo Goldfarb, University of California, San Diego— December 23, 2024 In 1967, Lonidier joined the Peace Corps in the Philippines with his first wife, Paulette Liang, but his time there was cut short by a presidential appeal denying his draft deferral. Prior to his departure, Lonidier successfully wrote and published a letter to the editors of the Philippine Free Press and Manila Times, presenting the American interruption of his service as a disproof of the nation’s claim to be “on the side of peace.” The letter landed him in front of the press on his return flight home, just two and a half months later…” UK professor recognized with lifetime achievement award for decades of community development contributions, by Zoey Ortega, University of Kentucky—December 23, 2024 “This work feeds my soul,” Hustedde said. “What I love is seeing people transform . . .

How I used Hanukkah to teach my community about the diversity of America.

Dec 26 2024

Happy Holidays, everyone! We’ll be taking a break until January 2 (Peace Corps Community in the News will be issued this Saturday). In the meantime, enjoy this archived Peace Corps Volunteer’s story. How I used Hanukkah to teach my community about the diversity of America PeaceCorpsWorldwide.org

Santa and Mrs. Claus

Dec 25 2024

Happy Holidays, everyone! We’ll be taking a break until January 2 (Peace Corps Community in the News will be issued this Saturday). In the meantime, enjoy this story. Santa and Mrs. Claus, by Lee Provost in the Daily Journal | Shawmedia.com | December 24, 2024 . From their home in unincorporated Kankakee, Santa and Mrs. Claus — perhaps better known in these parts as Wayne and Barb Burgess — have been two of the most sought-after people this side of the North Pole for the better part of a month. Wayne, 73, a 20-year employee with the former UARCO Inc., in Watseka, and who also served in the Peace Corps as well as the U.S. Army in the mid 1970s, has been entertaining the young and the not-so-young with his Santa duties for much of the past 32 years, having first started the effort to surprise his then-young son at . . .

Book Review: Falling Seven Times, by Mark Wentling (Honduras 1967-69 & Togo 1970-73)

Dec 24 2024

· Publisher ‏ : ‎ Archway Publishing (August 31, 2024) · Language ‏ : ‎ English · Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages · ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1665763213 · ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1665763 219 · Available on Amazon.com : Falling Seven Times I’ve read and reviewed several of the author’s books. We were both Peace Corps Volunteers in Central America and worked in West Africa, although Wentling went on to work and travel in 54 African countries over the years. My favorite book from his “African Trilogy” is “Africa’s Embrace,” which is fiction but reflects his experience working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa in the 1970s. This book begins in Ethiopia with a young woman’s struggle to be a migrant worker to support her family. It is a fictional story based on her experience with his Ethiopian wife. She became a naturalized citizen in 2019. . . .

Musaphe Mbalame (Don’t kill the birds!), a jingle by Jack Allison (Malawi 1966-69)

Dec 23 2024

I have the good fortune to serve on the board of directors of Developing Radio Partners. Recently the Malawi government has been airing spots on the radio in an effort to combat an increasing incidence of malaria. The attached song has now become part of that campaign. I wrote/recorded this song 56 years ago during my three-year tour as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. Quite honestly, back in the day, the song was not only popular, it also had a modest positive effect on increasing awareness of the ways to fight malaria. The gist of the song: Don’t kill the birds in Malawi because the birds eat the mosquitoes that give people malaria. E. Jackson Allison, Jr. MD/MPH, FACEP, FACPM Asheville, North Carolina RPCV Malawi, 1966-69 Virtual Service Project Participant (VSPP), US Peace Corps/South Africa, 2022 Author: The Warm Heart of Africa: An Outrageous Adventure of Love, Music, and . . .