Archive - April 2024

  The Tales of Bismuth: Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948 By Jamie Kirkpatrick (Tunisia 1970-72) Independently Published March 2024 250 pages $4.99 (Kindle); $21.00 (Paperback); $33.98 (Hardcover) • • •  The Tales of Bismuth is the sequel to Jamie Kirkpatrick’s debut novel, This Salted Soil: The Battle for Tunisia, 1942-1943. In that novel, Kirkpatrick (Tunisia, 1970-72) introduced his readers to Declan Shaw, a young Irish journalist who is based in Tunisia and assigned to cover the Allied North African campaign against Nazi Germany. Upon completion of that journalistic assignment, Shaw goes to Palestine to cover events unfolding there. He arrives in the waning days of the British Mandate and begins to understand the complexities of of life in Palestine, the complexities of relations between Palestinians and Jews, as well as the complexities of the heart. Shaw strives to report on events as a neutral observer, an almost impossible perspective to maintain given the . . .

  The Swans at Tualoa by Julian Quarles (Peace Corps Caribbean trainer) Dorrance Publishing March 2024 540 pages $32.00 (Paperback); $34.44 (Hardback) • • •  And so he had come to the land Tualoa, its tapering mountains a brilliant green. Spoonbill and osprey, sandpiper, heron, the yellow-bellied sunbirds fringing the shore. What except this, this faraway land with the charm of a tale? They spent afternoons at Little Marquis away from the eyes of the elder Su’uni. The nectarine lands dropped into the sea, her blue-run chambers swollen with worm. A series of clouds bunched over the west. He may have remembered a scene from Simoon, the world immense with its moments of gladness. The purposes of heaven lay before them that day. It came on a wind, to the island places, Alisi, Croyenne and Île des pengouins . . . Recovered papers at an eastern university lead to a narrative spanning . . .

  Guyana has made positive impacts in reducing poverty within the country; however, it was once one of the poorest in South America. Due to the discovery of oil production in 2019, Guyana’s GDP per capita is quickly increasing and the country could continue as one of the countries with the fastest economic growth as new oil production begins. The country is rich in natural resources and in addition to abundant rainforests and agricultural land, the country’s natural reserves also include gold and diamonds. Guyana’s proud decline in poverty shows a change from 60.9% of the country’s population living in poverty in 2006 to 48.4% in 2019, according to the World Bank. Accessibility to education and health care still needs improvements since COVID-19 additionally worsened conditions in these sectors. There are five charities operating in Guyana to make positive changes for the people living in Guyana. One of them was started . . .

New book —  Australia by Bus by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) Independently published 313 pages April 2024 Kindle Unlimited $4.99 (Kindle)  • • •  Australia is an ideal country to explore by bus. While most visitors spend their time in the urban centers, Australia’s scenic gems, historic sites, and vibrant cultures, including those of native Aborigines and other Indigenous groups, are scattered along the coasts and in the vast interior of desert, mountains, and windswept brush of the Outback. Buses go to these places. Because of the time limitations that most visitors have for travel, and the extreme distances to many points of interest, bus travel might effectively be combined with flights to the nearest cities. Bus travel is more than transportation; it is part of the journey. A visitor can fly over and look down, hopefully on a clear day. He or she can whiz past by train and catch panoramic . . .