Peace Corps writers

Lauren Greasewater’s War (novel) by Stephen Hirst (Liberia 1962–1964) Muuso Press 2013 238 pages $14.99 (paperback), $7.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Darcy Meijer (Gabon 1982–84) The front cover of Lauren Greasewater’s War by Stephen Hirst is an Edward Curtis photo from 1907 depicting the full face of a Havasupai woman. From the first page until the dramatic finish, Hirst relates a gripping story that could well have occurred in 1970s Arizona within the Native American Havasupai community. Lauren Greasewater’s War comprises five parts: Cradle, Blood, Song, Shelter and War. The first four develop the themes of the novel — origin, family, spirituality and home, while the last part brings these together. In brief, New York lutenist Lauren Napier, adopted by a white family as an infant, learns her true parentage and travels to the Havasupai canyonlands in the Southwest to find out more. Strong-willed and driven by the need for senses . . .

After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology from Michigan State University in 1969, Rich Schneider volunteered for the Peace Corps, which had sounded like a life-altering opportunity – and he wasn’t ready for marriage and a career. As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) assigned to the Philippines, Rich lived in the remote mountain village of Villar from June 1969 through June 1971, and worked with Pinatubo Aetas, an indigenous people, to increase their rice yield. The Aetas lived in permanent dwellings on a government reservation each assigned about 0.6 hectare (1.5 acres) of land suitable for planting rice. They had given up slash-and-burn agriculture, and on this land started traditional rice farming. Rich’s assignment was to assist the Aetas increase their rice yield per hectare from 30 to 80 cavans (1 cavan = 50 kilograms) using the improved rice varieties and enhanced cultivation practices developed at the . . .

The Huffington Post reports: More than a decade after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, veteran journalists Peter Eisner and Knut Royce are releasing a new [Kindle] edition of their groundbreaking book, The Italian Letter [first published in 2007]. More relevant than ever, The Italian Letter provides explosive, historic insights for a greater understanding of the Iraq War and how the United States got there. Here is a report by Royce on the hoax that helped launch the U.S. invasion and led to today’s disintegration of the country. Read Knut’s report at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/knut-royce/italian-letter-iraq-invasion_b_5574204.html The Italian Letter by Peter Eisner and Knut Royce Amazon Digital 288 print pages $5.95 (Kindle)

The first panel discussion I had for and about Peace Corps Writers was held in September 1986 under a huge tent on the Mall in Washington, D.C. at the 25th Anniversary of the Peace Corps.  That was twenty-eight years ago. At the time we had several dozen RPCV writers who had established international reputations with their writings. Among them were Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) who by that summer of ’86 had already published 20 books, including Great Railway Bazaar, published in 1975. This book “reinvented” travel writing. In 1986 Richard Wiley (Korea 1967-69) published Soldiers in Hiding, winner of that year’s PEN/Faulkner Award; Bob Shacochis (Eastern Caribbean 1975-76) first collection of stories, Easy in the Islands, won the ’86 National Book Award for First Fiction. His second collection, The Next New World, was awarded the Prix de Rome from the Academy of Arts and Letters; Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67) won . . .

It is time to nominate your favorite Peace Corps book published in 2013 for the Peace Corps Writers annual awards. Make your nomination(s) in the comment section following this announcement so people can see what books have been recognized. You may nominate your own book; books written by friends; books written by total strangers. The books can be about the Peace Corps or on any topic. The books must have been published in 2013. The awards will be announced in August. Thank you for nominating your favorite book written by a PCV, RPCV or Peace Corps Staff. A framed certificate and money are given to the winners. Email your nominations to jpcoyne@optonline.net. Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award First given in 1990, the Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award was named to honor Paul Cowan, a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ecuador. Cowan wrote The Making of An Un-American about his experiences as a Volunteer in . . .

Padre! A Place Whose Rules Rearrange Your Own By Raven Moore (Cote d’Ivoire 2000-02) Books by Raven, $19.99 (paper); $9.99 (Kindle) 338 pages 2013 Reviewed by Deidre Swesnik (Mali 1996-98) “The Ivoirien children who you see me living with on the cover of this book are poor, but poverty is not a permanent condition, nor does it have a recognizable face.  Color was and is not often the reason for our mistreatment of one another.  The Egyptians, the Moors, the Mongolians, the Romans, the Jews, the British, the Ottomans, the Dutch, the Americans, the Mandinka, the Mayans, and more; the list of conquerors is as diverse as those conquered.  Ivoiriens in the Ivory Coast – La Cote d’Ivoire as it is called in West Africa – have it badly, but I’m not here to make you feel sorry for Ivoiriens.  Feel sorry for me that it took me so long . . .

The E-Reader Death Watch Begins By Jordan Weissmann, Slate Tech writers have begun rolling out their eulogies for the humble e-reader, which Mashable has deemed “the next iPod.” As in, it’s the next revolutionary, single-purpose device that’s on the verge of being replaced by smartphones and tablet computers. Barnes & Noble is spinning off its Nook division. Amazon just debuted its own smartphone, which some are taking as a tacit admission that more people are reading books on their phone these days, to the detriment of the Kindle. The analysts at Forrester, meanwhile, expect that U.S. e-reader sales will tumble to 7 million per year by 2017, down from 25 million in 2012. At New York Magazine, Kevin Roose argues that this is “bad news for the book industry.” He writes: If you’ve ever tried to read a book on your phone, you’ll know why. Reading on an original Kindle or . . .

Nautilus Book Awards has recognized The Power of Latino Leadership by author Juana Bordas with this prestigious award in the area of Multicultural/Indigenous Literature. The Nautilus Book Awards is an annual accolade of books in the genre of social and economic equality. The award recognizes “Better books for a better world.” Established in the U.S. in 1998, Nautilus is considered a “major” book award There are over 50 million Latinos in the US and it is estimated that by 2050 one in three of the US population will be Latino. While many people may know about the history and contributions of Latinos, there is scant information on the powerful way Latinos have led their community. Yet, Latinos have only advanced to where they are today because of their leaders and collective efforts. A long-time Latina leader, Bordas is a founder of Denver’s Mi Casa Resource Center and was the first President . . .

It is time to nominate your favorite Peace Corps book published in 2013 for the Peace Corps Writers annual awards. Make your nomination(s) in the comment section following this announcement so people can see what books have been recognized. You may nominate your own book; books written by friends; books written by total strangers. The books can be about the Peace Corps or on any topic. The books must have been published in 2013. The awards will be announced in August. Thank you for nominating your favorite book written by a PCV, RPCV or Peace Corps Staff. A framed certificate and money are given to the winners. Email your nominations to jpcoyne@optonline.net. Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award First given in 1990, the Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award was named to honor Paul Cowan, a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ecuador. Cowan wrote The Making of An Un-American about his experiences as a Volunteer in . . .

The Power of Latino Leadership: Culture, Inclusion, and Contribution By Juana Bordas (Chile 1964-66) Berrett-Koehler Publisher 258 pages 2013 $19.95 (paperback), $9.18 (Kindle) Reviewed by Jean Seigle (Paraguay 1976-78; PC/W 1991-94; CD Ecuador 1994-97; Regional Manager, Boston 1997-99). Juana Bordas has written a book that is a gift to every student of leadership.  Not just Latino leadership.  This book needs to sit, dog eared, on every book shelf next to Good to Great or whatever one’s favorite leadership book may be.  Yes, I am a huge fan.  A fan of not only this book, but of Latino culture and of the ten principles of Latino  leadership that Bordas identifies.  So fair warning. This is an important book about how Latino leadership has evolved as a reflection of Latino culture forged through centuries of conquest and acculturation which began in 200 BC, when the Romans initiated a 700 year occupation of . . .

Africa’s Release: The Journey Continues (novel) by Mark Wentling (PCV Honduras 1967–69, 1970–73; PC Staff Togo, Gabon & Niger 1973–77) A Peace Corps Writers Book May 2014 232 pages $ 9.76 (paperback); $4.99 (Kindle) Review by Leita Kaldi Davis (Senegal 1993–96) Mark Wentling says he was born in Wichita, Kansas, but “made in Africa.”  That’s not hard to believe when you consider that since Wentling became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo in 1970 he went on to build a career of 43 years in Africa with Peace Corps, USAID, U.S. non-governmental organizations, and as Country Director for PLAN in Burkina Faso, and he has visited all 54 countries.  Wentling has published professional articles on development challenges and, to date, two books of fiction filled with magical reality, based on his own mystical, as well as practice experiences in Africa. Africa’s Release: The Journey Continues is the second in a . . .

The NPCA Global Education News is now out online. It can be found at http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/GlobalEdSummer2014.pdf A list of RPCV and Peace Corps books is on page 6. Global Education News is a quarterly teacher resource from the National Peace Corps Association and the Professional Interest Community of ASCD. They welcome your contributions. Please send letters or material for the newsletter to Susan Neyer, Editor, 1701 Lilac Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94595 (925-933-4490) e-mail: SusanNeyer@astound.net

The Dandy Vigilante (mystery) by Kevin Daley (Samoa 1986-89) Anaphora Literary Press 252 pages March 2014 $19.00 (paperback), $3.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Will Siegel (Ethiopia 1962-64) The hard-boiled crime genre is a tough nut in these days of sympathetic detectives who insist on dragging their personal problems into their professional crime fighting life. Just the right tone is needed. Lean a little on tough talk, you’re prone to cliché, lean on the curt description you’re liable to wander from the story line. And lean on the cynicism in which the genre reacted to the romantic novel, and you’re out of touch with an age already cynical about cynicism. Masters such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, or rougher types Ross MacDonald and Mickey Spillane set the tone in the 30’s and after the WW II. In today’s crowded acre of crime and mystery novels, the rub is how to get a . . .

RPCV Malawi (1996-98) Ben East was shortlisted among ten finalists for the Dundee International Book Prize for his manuscript Sea Never Dry. The novel began as a short story about crooked cops and drug trafficking in West Africa, originally published as “One Dead Cop” in 2012 by Umbrella Factory Magazine.  Two years later, the story centers on development efforts in the region and the corrupt officials, tribal politics, and black magic that undermine progress there.  Sea Never Dry is thick with spies, cops, and fetish priests, crooks, Internet fraudsters, and the unlucky Ghanaian orphans turning a buck on Accra’s e-waste ash heaps. As a Volunteer Ben taught English in southern Malawi, and has spent nearly two decades working on various teaching and diplomatic assignments in Africa, the Middle East, and throughout the Americas.  A Connecticut native, he recently returned to the United States where he lives in Virginia with his wife and two . . .