Book Announcement: Born in Kansas but Made in Africa, by Mark Wentling (Honduras, 1967-69; Togo, 1970-73)
I've read it and highly recommend these impressive stories about serving in Africa. My review will be out next week.
Sharing a press release by the publisher of a new memoir, available on Amazon.
A Powerful Memoir Recounts Five Decades Across 54 African Nations
The memoir is organized into five chronological parts, each covering a decade of experience in Somalia, Guinea, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. It also includes annexes covering his perspectives on African agriculture, development strategy, and poetry dedicated to the continent. Through short vignettes and candid observations, the book presents a mosaic of events, insights, and reflections on the face of Africa and the enduring challenges it faces. Wentling avoids naming individuals or focusing on personal opinion. Instead, he shares memories and lessons that may spark curiosity or inform the reader’s understanding of Africa. He also acknowledges the difficulty of capturing all that transpired, but hopes the book remains readable, educational, and thought-provoking. He notes that although he spent decades working in development, he still believes that the key to Africa’s future lies with authentic, homegrown leadership capable of guiding progress with vision and integrity.
The memoir also acknowledges how much Africa has changed since his early years there and how those changes have affected his perception of the continent. Despite his long engagement, he expresses a sense of humility about the limits of his knowledge and the evolving nature of Africa’s challenges. Wentling’s extensive background includes work in Latin America and Asia and assignments in Cambodia and Nepal in recent years. His educational credentials include a bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University and a master’s in international agricultural development from Cornell University. He is a National War College graduate, and has received a top award for his policy work on U.S. foreign aid to Africa in the post-Cold War era. In 2025, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Wichita State University’s Liberal Arts College.
Wentling is a prolific writer who has authored 13 books, ranging from fiction to memoir, including his widely respected three-volume Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. His professional articles have appeared in Foreign Service Journal, American Diplomacy, CARE publications, and other outlets. His writing explores complex themes such as hunger, institutional reform, foreign aid, democracy, and migration. Now residing in Lubbock, Texas, with his Ethiopian wife, Wentling continues to reflect on his life’s work. He regards this new memoir as the closing chapter of his engagement with Africa. In his final wishes, he has requested to be buried next to his mother in Kansas, with the words “Born in Kansas but Made in Africa” inscribed on his gravestone, a phrase that captures the core of his identity and his extraordinary life.
Book Information
Born in Kansas but Made in Africa
By Mark G. Wentling
Published: July 7, 2025
Media Contact
Mark G. Wentling | africamarkw@yahoo.com | 806-500-0380
I’ve read it and highly recommend these impressive stories about serving in Africa. My review will be out next week.