2025 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review: The 2024 Paris Olympics, by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96; HQ staff 2003-11)

Aug 05 2025

Sue Hoyt Aiken (Ethiopia, 1962 – 64) reviews Steve Kaffen’s The 2024 Paris Olympics. This memoir is available on Amazon. Title: The 2024 Paris Olympics Author: Steve Kaffen (RPCV Russia 1994-96; HQ staff 2003-11) Published: May 3, 2025 Review by Sue Hoyt Aiken (Ethiopia, 1962-64) Steve Kaffen, who has published more than a dozen books on his travels, has written a new memoir to accompany not only his extensive photography but his personal experiences on the road. The 2024 Paris Olympics serves as a comprehensive travel memoir, blending personal anecdotes, Olympic highlights, and reflections on global exploration. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris were a massive event, featuring 10,500 athletes from 206 countries competing in 32 sports, attended by over 10 million visitors and supported by 45,000 volunteers – try and wrap your head around those numbers! One of the highlights was the opening ceremony held along the Seine with roughly 300,000 spectators, and Kaffen was able to . . .

Book Announcement: To Bembou and Back: The Misadventure Memoirs of a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa, by Daniel Egan (Senegal, 2007-09)

Aug 05 2025

To Bembou and Back: The Misadventures Memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa is a raw, comedic, and profoundly human account of one young man’s two-year journey as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Senegal. Equal parts adventure story, cultural exploration, and coming-of-age narrative, this memoir dives headfirst into the chaos, beauty, and absurdity of cross-cultural service. From navigating squat toilets and goat invasions to surviving sweltering 120-degree days in a village without electricity or phone service, author Daniel Egan captures the full sensory overload of adjusting to life in Bembou, Senegal. With sharp wit and brutal honesty, he recounts the wild highs and stomach-turning lows of Peace Corps life—from near-death minibus rides and baboon attacks to the shared laughter and deep bonds formed over communal meals and village gardens. Egan’s experience is filled with hilarious missteps and meaningful victories: teaching environmental education lessons, starting the first co-ed sleepaway . . .

Book Announcement: The UFO Files, by Kathryn Hulick (Kyrgyzstan, 2004-06)

Aug 01 2025

Overview The UFO Files are the recently de-classified notes on a moment that captivates humanity: the arrival of an alien spacecraft on Planet Earth. The year is 2033. An investigator known only as Polaris has compiled this report into every aspect of the spaceship and the beings that built it. Piece by piece, uncover a thrilling narrative of courage and curiosity during this closest of encounters, while delving into the cutting-edge science and technology that help Polaris understand – and welcome – these visitors from a distant star system. Read the torn-out headlines announcing an unexplained radio signal from outer space, then learn all about the electromagnetic spectrum and how we use it to communicate. Come face to face with the flying drones that emerge from the spacecraft, then delve into how dragonflies have mastered the art of flight. And as the mystery of who or what lies within the . . .

Review: Junkyard Kid: Born in a Warehouse, Traveled the World, by Danny Langdon (Ethiopia, 1962-64)

Jul 29 2025

Title: Junkyard Kid: Born in a Warehouse, Traveled the World Author: Danny Langdon (RPCV Ethiopia, 1962-64) Published: Aug 7, 2024 (Performance International) Review by Catherine Onyemeluk (Nigeria, 1962-64) Junkyard Kid: Born in a Warehouse, Traveled the World recounts the life experiences of Danny Langdon from his earliest chapter to the final one. Starting with the warehouse of furs, pelts and hides where he was born in Twin Falls, Id. he describes his family and childhood, marked by his father’s illness and death when he was 7. While his father lay dying, his mother took on the two roles of both mother and father. She took over the warehouse business, doing the accounting, selling the furs, working with scrap iron. The many loving references to his mother throughout the book are some of the most meaningful experiences of Langdon’s book. Reflecting on his childhood in the warehouse, Langdon summarizes his reactions: . . .

Review: Married to Amazement, by Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia, 1965-67)

Jul 25 2025

Christine Herbert (Zambia, 2004-06) reviews Kathleen Coskran’s Married to Amazement. This memoir is available on Amazon and Bookshop.org. Title: Married to Amazement: A Memoir Author: Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia, 1965-67) Published: Apr 24, 2025 (Peace Corps Worldwide) Review by Christine Herbert (Zambia, 2004-06) When Coskran’s memoir kicks off by disclosing to her readers she’s not just old, but old old (81 years), we can’t help but be drawn in by her humor and candor. She doesn’t claim to offer any pearls of wisdom, but instead offers up memories of moments that have brought her into a state of utter amazement and profound gratitude. To this end, she offers a collection of short stories—little snippets of wonder—to offer us glimpses of her extraordinary life experience. This book is an invitation to examine life’s gifts and mysteries through her eyes. That is to say, she offers us not pearls, but absolute gems. She opens with her first grand cross-cultural adventure, a crash . . .

Book Announcement: Born in Kansas but Made in Africa, by Mark Wentling (Honduras, 1967-69; Togo, 1970-73)

Jul 24 2025

Sharing a press release by the publisher of a new memoir, available on Amazon. A Powerful Memoir Recounts Five Decades Across 54 African Nations In his latest and most personal work, Born in Kansas but Made in Africa, author and development expert Mark G. Wentling shares the story of a life shaped by more than half a century of continuous involvement with the African continent. Although he did not work in every country, Wentling has visited 54 African nations, a rare distinction that frames his deep and enduring connection to the continent. Wentling began his international journey in 1970 when he left Kansas to serve Togo as a Peace Corps Volunteer. That initial three-year assignment evolved into a lifelong commitment to Africa. Over the next five decades, he took on increasingly impactful roles, from Peace Corps leadership positions in Gabon and Niger to complex rural development initiatives with USAID, where he rose to . . .

The Secret Lives of Brando, Pacino, Dolly Parton, and More, by Lawrence Grobel (Ghana, 1966-68) in Vanity Fair

Jul 15 2025

The Secret Celebrity Diaries: A Master Interviewer’s Behind-the-Scenes Chronicles For decades, veteran celebrity interviewer Lawrence Grobel has been getting Hollywood’s biggest stars to open up in ways few journalists ever have. But while conducting legendary interviews with icons like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Dolly Parton for Playboy magazine, he was secretly keeping a detailed diary of everything that happened behind the scenes—the anxious phone calls, the unexpected friendships, the creative struggles, and the deeply human moments that never made it into print. In this fascinating Vanity Fair excerpt from his unpublished journals, Grobel reveals what it was really like to spend ten days on Brando’s private island near Tahiti, to watch a paranoid Pacino worry he’d revealed too much, and to have Dolly Parton talk him out of interviewing Charles Manson because “he’d steal your soul.” The diary entries span from 1977 to 1981 and read like a time capsule of both Hollywood’s golden . . .

Review: The Village, by Bill Owens (Jamaica 1964-66)

Jul 01 2025

Neiger Green-Patrick (Haiti, 2005) reviews Bill Owens’s The Village. This photography book is available on Amazon and Bookshop.org. Title: The Village Author: Bill Owens Published: January 25, 2014 (True North Editions) Review by Neiger Green-Patrick (Haiti, 2005) Before diving into this review, I must preface it by sharing that I am a student of documentary photography. My Peace Corps service in Haiti was made more dynamic by the presence of my Nikon 35mm. The way my community was drawn to the lens opened a view of Haiti that felt nothing short of magical. In The Village, Bill Owens elevates the everyday with a narrative and aesthetic sensibility that’s graceful. Moving beyond the conventional portrayals of Jamaica—lush greenery, crystal clear waters, and unapologetic use of color—Owens captures the daily rhythms of Central Village and the life of the communities that most visitors might not see. Through the intimacy of service and proximity, he offers viewers a more grounded, deeply . . .

Book Review: Head Strong, by Christy Bailey (Honduras 2002-04)

Jun 27 2025

Robert Thurston (Venezuela, 1968-70) reviews Christy Bailey’s Head Strong. This memoir, published posthumously, is available on Amazon. Title: Head Strong: Embracing Alopecia and Becoming Pañuelo Girl Author: Christy Bailey / Editor: Susana Donato Published: April 27, 2025 (Kindle Direct Publishing) Review by Robert Thurston (RPCV Venezuela, 1968-70; PC Staff, 1972-77) When I was asked to review Head Strong: Embracing Alopecia and Becoming Pañuelo Girl by Christy Bailey, I thought there must have been a mistake, as I had agreed to review works of fiction that draw on Peace Corps experiences. Bailey’s superbly written memoir of her life-long personal struggle with alopecia and the transformational challenges she experienced as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras had me questioning how I could do justice to her powerful account. Sure, I’d managed Peace Corps programs in Honduras, but I worked with forestry and agriculture volunteers, almost all of whom were young men working in a stereotypically macho work world and society. . . .

Review: California Against the Sea, by Rosanna Xia (Mongolia 2009-11)

Jun 18 2025

Evelyn la Torre (Peru, 1964-66) reviews Rosanna Xia’s California Against the Sea. This non-fiction book is available from Heyday Books and Amazon. Title: California Against the Sea Author: Rosanna Xia Published: September 26, 2023 (Heyday Books) Review by Evelyn La Torre (Peru, 1964-66) Ocean waves are devouring California’s coastal cliffs and beaches quicker than previously predicted, with an increasing speed and force that many don’t realize. Rich and poor land- and homeowners from Imperial Beach to Marin City are adversely affected. In California Against the Sea, Rosanna Xia, an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times and returned Peace Corps volunteer (Mongolia, 2009-11), describes precisely where the increasingly high waves and water levels along the coast are causing damage, amounting to more than that caused by fires and earthquakes in the state. As a California resident, this book spurred me to more actively support environmental causes. The author illustrates the numerous efforts employed in the past and present to ward off . . .

Book Review: London, by Taylor Dibbert (Guatemala, 2006-08)

Jun 13 2025

Bill Preston (Thailand, 1977-80) reviews Taylor Dibbert’s London. This book of poetry is available on Amazon. Title: London Author: Taylor Dibbert Published: March 1, 2024 (Alien Buddha Press Review by Bill Preston (Thailand, 1977-80) Anyone who has lost a beloved pet can relate to the pain and emptiness that accompany such loss. The grieving process, immediate, intense, often overwhelming, continues to ebb and flow, triggered by memories, dreams, and past associations. It’s been said that though we may never completely get over a deep personal loss, we can–in time, and with support–get through it. London is poet Taylor Dibbert’s collection of linked poems addressing the death of his eponymous canine companion. It is a chronicle of grieving, a meditation on navigating loss—in his words, through heartbreak, resilience, and enduring love. Early in the collection, Dibbert’s poems confront the immediate pain. In Angel Wings, a particularly poignant flashback, he describes London’s last moments. (All excerpts presented in italics.) . . .

SALAMANDER MAN, BY JAMES A. WOLTER ‧ REVIEWED BY EPHANTUS MURIUKI

Jun 09 2025

Salamander Man by James A. Wolter is an emotionally charged coming-of-age tale about a boy whose social inclusion, acceptance, confidence, and self-worth are jeopardized by a sickness that leaves him unable to use his legs. Mohamed Idris bin Mohamed Ibrahim was born strong and healthy until the age of four, when he contracted polio, which he dubs the “evil eye.” At this point, his legs became “useless twisted stumps,” which earned him the scorn of his peers and the nickname “Salamander Man.” He would further develop a biting obsession with finding ways to outdo other boys to “feel like a king” time and again. None, however, could be sustained. At the age of six, his desire to attend Tengku Bariah Primary School was quashed by a headmaster who warned his father that the school was not for “his kind.” This not only gravely crushed his spirits, but also drove the . . .

The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue, by Mike Tidwell (Zaire 1985-87)

Jun 08 2025

Title: The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue Author: Mike Tidwell (Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, 1985-87) Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; March 25, 2025 Number of pages: 288 Available on Amazon, Bookshop, Goodreads, Thriftbooks, and more Reviewer’s name: Ben East (Malawi 1996-98) Reading The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue feels like strolling the hometown with an affable neighbor, one filled with deep respect for the natural world and a pragmatic concern for its demise. Along the way we meet other neighbors, including state and national political figures; students, scientists, arborists, and public works personnel; a farmer, a midwife, the local pastor. Despite dire news regarding humanity’s relationship with nature, the company makes for an exceptional walk. On one level Mike Tidwell recounts a single year—2023—in a Washington, DC suburb whose residents cope with the local effects of global climate change. These are the tombstone stumps of new-fallen trees, the sudden gaps in rich canopy across which the . . .

Our legacy, our resilience: A reflection about the Peace Corps, by Diane Glover (Philippines 2018-20)

Jun 06 2025

There are times when people wonder about the relevancy of a tiny agency whose entire mission is based on spreading global peace and friendship. Then there are moments that remind me why the Peace Corps has endured. Moments that prove our impact is not just measured in years served, but also in lifetimes changed. Pacific country leaders inspired by Peace Corps Volunteers I think back to last year, when I walked into a meeting with Pacific heads of mission (Pacific countries ambassadors and permanent representatives to the UN) at the State Department. It was their final meeting in a long day, and yet the moment the Peace Corps was mentioned, the room came alive. They didn’t just want to talk about policy or logistics—they wanted to share their stories. They spoke of the Volunteers who taught them, mentored them, and became part of their families. Their voices carried admiration, gratitude, . . .

Before Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone by Betsy Small

Jun 01 2025

A debut author blends autobiography and ethnography in this exploration of Sierra Leone in the 1980s. The recent history of Sierra Leone is one often associated with violence, disease, and tragedy. From the decade-long Blood Diamond War of the 1990s through the Ebola outbreak of the 2010s that killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, the West African nation has been the epicenter of human rights crises for the past 30 years. In this book, Small not only encourages readers to place those tragedies within a larger post-colonial context, but also highlights a vibrant history of the nation from a grassroots perspective in the decade that predated the violence of the ’90s. A Peace Corps volunteer who was born only a year after Sierra Leone became an independent country in 1961, the author spent three years in Tokpombu, a village located 250 miles from the nation’s Atlantic coast (“Here I . . .

Archive - 2025