A new book – Peace Corps Worldwide

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. . . .

A PEACE CORPS LAWYER IN PARADISE, by Donald T. Bliss (Micronesia 1966-68)

Dec 20 2024

A PEACE CORPS LAWYER IN PARADISE The Pacific Islands—Past, Present, and Future Donald Tiffany Bliss (Micronesia 1966-68) Self-Published, August 22, 2024; 275 pages Available on Amazon Paperback, Kindle, $14.99 ISBN 9798336456424 The book describes my Peace Corps experience as the first attorney to reside in Ponape (Pohnpei), Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and subsequent travels in the Pacific Islands. In the US-administered UN Trusteeship of the Pacific Islands, the author worked with Micronesians to establish a rule of law and learn democratic self-government, which led to the independence of the Federated States of Micronesia. The author illustrated how law evolves from local custom and tradition.

Ron Dube (Niger) Children’s book:The Small Dish

Dec 19 2024

The Small Dish by Ronald N. Dube (Niger 1964-66) Mindstir Media 20 pages Reading age: 4-12 years $17.18 (Hardcover); $2.99 (Kindle) Available on Amazon A small farm near the major city was once a teacher’s retreat. However, it remained neglected until a Vietnam veteran bought it as a refuge. After a few years, the veteran decided to sell the farm, but before the new owners could move in, he had to remove his possessions. During target practice, a small dish was lost. Massachusetts teacher and former Nashua native Ron Dube (Niger 1964-66) shows his granddaughter Penelope, 4, a copy of his first children’s book, ‘The Small Dish.’ The book describes the story as an allegory about “existence, usefulness, loss, oblivion, resurrection, and back to existence and usefulness again.” Ron is an octogenarian and always led with an adventurous spirit. Ron grew up in Nashua and earned an Eagle . . .

New Book: My African Anthology, by Robert Gribbin

Dec 18 2024

My African Anthology By Robert Gribbin (Kenya 1968-70)) Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (August 9, 2024) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 351 pages ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8335491563 Available on Amazon.com ($17.00) My African Anthology is a compendium of anecdotes, articles and stories that mirror years of living and working in Africa. Beginning in the sixties with my first sojourn on the continent, the items both factual and fictional paint a compelling portrait of the Africa I knew. From the Peace Corps Kenya era are snippets of Luo tribal consternation regarding America’s moon landing, competing in the Safari road rally, trouble with noisy bees, and a shape shifting terror. From Bokassa’s Central African Republic – stories of a man lost in the forest, the president’s mistress, a search for gold, plus an eye-witness account of the lavish coronation. A later return to that beleaguered nation, . . .

New Book: HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T., by Andrew R. Tadross

Dec 14 2024

HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T. By Andrew R. Tadross (Ethiopia 2011-13) Independently Published, November 2024; 103 pages Available for $42.00 on Amazon HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T., by Andrew R. Tadross, is an evocative anthology spanning two decades of creative exploration. This collection transcends genres, blending pop culture, expressionism, nature art, abstraction, and surrealism. Featuring over 100 works, it delivers a vivid mix of satire, nostalgia, melancholy, and tension. Highlights include a fishy homage to Jackson Pollock, a chimp playing Russian roulette with a banana, and landscapers at sunset. Fans of cinematic and cultural nostalgia will chuckle at scenes like Colonel Kurtz losing at Tetris, Cousin Eddie navigating Downton Abbey, and a chess match between Darth Vader and “The Dude.” Drawing from personal experiences and far-flung settings—Ethiopia, the Everglades, and beyond—Tadross’s work captures both the iconic and the everyday. Portraits range from Willie Nelson to Mr. T, while . . .

When Small Things Make Great Things Possible, by John Chromy (India 1963-65)

Nov 25 2024

A little over a year ago, John Chromy (India 1963-65) began a project to gather narratives on at least ten programs where the cumulative efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers and their host country counterparts either initiated, expanded or laid the groundwork for future expansion of programs that over a half century have become permanent elements in improving the lives of millions of people. It was his intent to share these great narratives with a wide audience and to make these achievements a historical hallmark of the Peace Corps concept and its inherent belief in the value of “bottom-up community-based development.” I helped John identify these programs and also committed to helping disseminate the product of his work. Sadly, John passed away on October 19, 2024, just after delivering his report. Published posthumously, “When Small Things Make Great Things Possible” shares a 50-year perspective on 10 Peace Corps programs that enabled . . .

Carnival in Rio, by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96)

Nov 21 2024

Carnival in Rio is bigger and better than anything of its kind. The all-night parades of samba schools in the Sambadrome, the most famous of the events, are mesmerizing in person and great memories thereafter. So are the hundreds of street parties, called blocos, where participants numbering from a few hundred to a million dance and sing and eat and hug, toast each other with extra-large bottles of beer, and renew old friendships and make new ones. Carnival is also a state of mind and being—of joy, spontaneity, camaraderie, and goodwill—that pervades the city and the country. 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. In the Sambadrome, the spectators’ adrenalin starts to flow when a samba school begins its march down the parade route. As the marchers near each section, the entire grandstand . . .

New Book by Danny Langdon (Ethiopia 1962-64)

Nov 19 2024

Junkyard Kid Book Description This is the fascinating, often humorous, story of Danny G Langdon—a person who has lived a very lucky life. A world traveler, he is one of the most sane, charming, talented, funny, profound humans you could possibly know—which is unlikely when you read that he was born in a warehouse and raised in a junkyard setting. However, he thrived in such an unusual environment! It promoted his curiosity as he lived with his seven siblings and widowed mother who ran a scrap metal, hide, wool, pelt, and fur business for 40 years. His is a story of overcoming learning obstacles to become a well-rounded person, a successful entrepreneur, and the author of a baker’s dozen books. During the first days of the U.S. Peace Corps, he volunteered as a teacher in Ethiopia—personally meeting President John F. Kennedy at the White House and his Imperial Majesty Haile . . .

In latest book, geography professor offers new way forward for agriculture in Africa

Nov 15 2024

Published November 13, 2024 in Macalester College News For more than 35 years, DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography Bill Moseley has devoted his career to agriculture in Africa. First as a Peace Corps volunteer, then as a staffer with international aid organizations, and finally as a geographer, Dr. Moseley has sought to understand the complex forces, both domestic and foreign, that shape what is grown and by whom in various parts of the continent, as well as who benefits and who does not from these policies and practices. In his latest book, Decolonizing African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology, and the Need for Radical Transformation, Professor Moseley has concentrated his expertise into an accessible volume that examines the history of food security and agricultural development in four African nations. The way forward, he argues, is to reject the dominant colonialist approach to economic development in favor of less commercialization and . . .

New release ‘Falling Seven Times’ sheds light on the struggles of labor migrants in a powerful tale of survival and resilience

Nov 12 2024

By Editor | November 7, 2024 | 0 Follow the harrowing journey of an Ethiopian woman navigating the hardships of working abroad to support her family LUBBOCK, Texas – Author Mark G. Wentling marks his return to the publishing scene with “Falling Seven Times” (published by Archway Publishing), a fictionalized account of his Ethiopian wife’s true-life experience as a labor migrant. The story follows Alya, an Ethiopian woman who unwillingly leaves her home in a desperate need to provide for her family. Without jobs that pay a livable wage in her country, working abroad is her only option for survival. What follows is a journey fraught with physical and emotional challenges: challenging work conditions, language barriers, and cultural clashes — all in the hope of securing a better future for herself and her loved ones. With its poignant narrative, “Falling Seven Times” offers a new perspective on a story . . .

Ah, Where the Light Shines Through, First of four volumes of poetry by Patricia Waak (Brazil 1966-68)

Nov 08 2024

A walk through the snow, attention to the life that is bursting forth around you, reading the ancient signs of life in the past are some of stories captured series of poems that illuminate the relationship between one’s self and the natural world. The epiphanies that come from being aware of the spiritual unfolding that is possible when you pay attention to the other beings that we share the earth with. Ah, Where the Light Shines Through speaks to the reader of what is always present around us if we but take notice. Available on Amazon.com

Author ‘pays it forward’ with new book

Oct 11 2024

Excerpted from the Salisbury Post (North Carolina). Published Thursday, October 10, 2024. By Karen Kistler When she heard the words cancer, Travis Brady (China 1994) said her reaction was utter disbelief. Now, in remission and eight years out, she has written a book entitled “Make Room for Healing: 40 Tips from a Breast Cancer Survivor,” which she said is a way to pay it forward. “The book is not a memoir,” Brady said. “It’s really about the tips and tricks and things that helped me get through treatment because I knew I wanted to pay forward a way to make going through breast cancer treatment easier for people that we love. That’s really my mission.” Raised in Salisbury and serving as vice president of HR for Hedrick Industries, Brady, along with her husband, David Grose and three-year-old daughter Grier, who now live in Chapel Hill, were living in Northern . . .

Medfield, MA Author Publishes True Crime Stories

Oct 09 2024

Source: October 08, 2024 (PRLEAP.COM) Entertainment News Her Side Of The Sun, a new book by Tim Flaherty (Guatemala 1974-76), has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Her Side of the Sun chronicles the tales of different women in a women’s prison located in Framingham, Massachusetts, and the crimes that led them there. The events portrayed within are based on real accounts of incarcerated women and their crimes. Author Tim Flaherty portrays these events in a narrative setting as a message on how drugs and alcohol can lead a woman down this treacherous path. Writing an accurate and honest story, Flaherty transports us into the lives of these women and the devastating impact their actions have not only to themselves but to their families. About the Author Tim Flaherty is a former Peace Corps volunteer and served for three years in Guatemala. As he is fluent in Spanish, in . . .

MALINDY’S FREEDOM by Theresa Delsoin (Samoa)

Sep 27 2024

A new book – Malindy’s Freedom: The Story of a Slave Family by Mildred Johnson & Theresa Delsoin (Samoa 2004-06) Missouri Historical Society Press May 2005 220 pages $22.50 (Hardcover) This is an account of the years 1820 to 1865 in the life of Malindy, a freeborn Cherokee who was unlawfully enslaved as a child by a Franklin County, Missouri, farmer. Married to a freedman, Malindy gave birth to five children in slavery–creating a family she would fight her whole life to keep together. As a testament to Malindy’s iron will, her great-granddaughters Mildred Johnson and Theresa Delsoin have lived to share the story passed on through their family for generations–a story of courage, conviction, and love. In Malindy’s Freedom, Johnson and Delsoin construct a narrative that realistically re-creates Malindy’s world–the individuals she encountered, the crucibles she faced, the battles she won. The authors relied principally on census records, . . .

The Victimization of Public School Teachers in America

Sep 24 2024

A new book — The Victimization of Public School Teachers in America by Emmanuel Edouard (Mali 1980-82) Fulton Books Publication 356 pages June 2024 $9.99 (Kindle) & $25.73 (paperback) The assault on public school teachers’ integrity, livelihood, and professionalism started in 1983 with the publication of A Nation at Risk. Based on the results of our education system performance, they were indirectly accused of failing our children. It peaked in 2004, when Rod Paige, then George W. Bush’s secretary of education, called the country’s leading teachers union a “terrorist organization.” Teachers felt dehumanized then. In 2009, Barack Obama blamed them for “letting our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us.” Teachers felt let down again. In 2017, President Donald Trump lamented how “beautiful” students had been “deprived of all knowledge” by our nation’s cash-guzzling public school system. Teachers felt humiliated and . . .