Honduras – Peace Corps Worldwide

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 . . .

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. . . .

Neighbors: Oral History From Madera California Vol. 4 by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975-1977)

Mar 05 2025

This book is about two generations of Peace Corps Volunteers and their writing. Over the years, I’ve read and reviewed several of the 20 books of fellow author and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer “Lorenzo” Lihosit. He was a volunteer in Honduras and married a lady from Mexico, and I was a volunteer in Guatemala and married a señorita from there. I used his Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir to write my first book, Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond, proofed his Oral History from Madera, California, and agreed with the Madera Tribune, “The best of its kind in print. Like Volume 1, the author offers real-life stories by citizens of Madera, California. They seem to speak directly to us, seated at our kitchen table, waving their arms while laughing. This book is a must-read for those interested in the California Central Valley.” I was pleased to read . . .

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. . . .

In That Time of Their Lives — Jeremiah Norris (Colombia)

Sep 18 2024

RPCVs in the news — by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) . . . The Peace Corps came into existence through an Executive Order from the President of the U. S. in March 1961. It had three complimentary goals, the 3rd of which stated: “To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans”. This Goal, often summarized as “bringing it back home”, has always been something of an afterthought—because it lacks documentation, though it is worth documenting …it represents a Return on Investment (ROI) that is unmatched by any other Congressional appropriation. In the decades that followed, it passed through two events of global consequence, either one which could have resulted in its organizational demise: the Viet Nam War and the Covid-19 epidemic. In the past several years, one would have to have been an expert in forensic sciences to find any article in the press or social . . .

New books by Peace Corps writers | July through August, 2024

Sep 03 2024

New books — To purchase any of these books from Amazon.com — CLICK on the book cover, the bold book title, or the publishing format you would like — and Peace Corps Worldwide, an Amazon Associate, will receive a small remittance from your purchase that will help support the site and the annual Peace Corps Writers awards. We include a brief description for each of the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers to order a book and maybe VOLUNTEER TO REVIEW IT. See a book you’d like to review for Peace Corps Worldwide? Send a note to Marian at marian@haleybeil.com, and she will send you a free copy along with a few instructions. PLEASE, PLEASE join in our Third Goal effort and volunteer to review a book or books!!! Songs of Mali by Ruth Gooley (Mali 1980-81) Peace Corps Writers May 2024 102 pages $15.00 (paperback) Songs of Mali . . .

Memorial celebration set for RPCVs Joe and Cristina Kessler

Aug 15 2024

Memorial celebration set for Joe and Cristina Kessler PCVs from 1973 to 78 in Honduras, Kenya, and Seychelles by Sara Kirkpatrick Virgin Islands Daily News Friends and colleagues of former St. John residents Joe and Cristina Kessler are invited to gather for an online memorial celebration of the couple at noon Sunday. They died earlier this year. The Kessler and Dombrowski families have asked participants to join them on Zoom and raise a glass at 12 p.m. EDT for a simultaneous, worldwide toast with a drink of their choice. Dombrowski is Cristina’s maiden name. Following the toast, family, friends and colleagues will be able to share remarks and remembrances in smaller break-out rooms. Joe and Cristina Kessler were well-known throughout the Virgin Islands. Joe served as president of the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park for 17 years before retiring in 2018. He also organized the . . .

JACKLEG BOYS by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras/Togo)

Aug 02 2024

A a new book — Jackleg Boys by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras 1967-69), (Togo 1970-73) Vanguard Press 506 pages August 2024 $19.99 (Paperback) Jackleg Boys unfolds with a gripping tale of survival, transformation, and the bonds forged in the crucible of adversity. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War’s aftermath, Henry and Randy, once privileged sons of an aristocratic Virginian family, find themselves grappling with the ruins of their past. As they navigate the harsh realities of a war-torn landscape, life becomes a catalyst for a perilous journey westward. In a quest for survival, the duo must shed their former identities and confront the moral complexities of their choices. This historical novel explores the lengths individuals go to endure and adapt in the face of calamity, challenging notions of privilege, identity, and the pursuit of a new beginning. Jackleg Boys is a riveting narrative that explores . . .

Review | TALES OF AN IKUT SWAMI by Cristina Kessler (Honduras, Kenya, Seychelles)

Mar 25 2024

Tales of an Ikut Swami Cristina Kessler (Honduras 1973–75, Kenya 1975–76, Seychelles 1976–78) [Cover design Frank Welffens; Photographs by Cristina Kessler] Self-published $12.00 (paperback) Reviewer — Leita Kaldi Davis (Senegal 1993–96) • • • Cristina met her husband, Joe, in 1973 during training in Puerto Rico. As a volunteer, he was assigned to Peru and she to Honduras. Six months later he transferred to Honduras. Peace Corps told them they could only serve together if they were married, so they agreed to risk it for a year. That was 50 years ago this August! They served from 1973 to 1978 in Honduras, Peru, Kenya and the Seychelles. Joe was later hired by CARE and they were sent to Sierra Leone. As an Ikut Swami — Malay for one who follows her husband — Cristina . . . and Joe spent twenty years in Africa, seven years in Latin America and two years in Asia, living . . .

Talking With Children’s Book Award Winning Writer Cristina Kessler

Mar 25 2024

John interviews . . . Cristina Kessler Cristina Kessler is an award-winning author of nine books set in Africa, where she lived for 19 years. She’s received the 2015 Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers” with Hope is Here!; She’s received the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award from the ASPCA for Excellence in Humane Literature for Young Readers; the Africana Book Award, from the African Studies Association, honoring outstanding books about Africa for children and young adults; and has been included many times on the Notable Books for a Global Society list. She writes about nature and cross-cultural topics. I asked Cristina what she did before the Peace Corps. I graduated from California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1972. I majored in Criminology and minored in Political Science. My first job upon graduating was working as a mushroom sorter in the Santa Cruz . . .

New books by Peace Corps writers | July–August 2023

Sep 04 2023

To purchase any of these books from Amazon.com — CLICK on the book cover, the bold book title, or the publishing format you would like — and Peace Corps Worldwide, an Amazon Associate, will receive a small remittance from your purchase that will help support the site and the annual Peace Corps Writers awards. We include a brief description for each of the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers to order a book and/or to VOLUNTEER TO REVIEW IT. See a book you’d like to review for Peace Corps Worldwide? Send a note to Marian at marian@haleybeil.com, and she will send you a free copy along with a few instructions. P.S. In addition to the books listed below, I have on my shelf a number of other books whose authors would love for you to review. Go to Books Available for Review to see what is on that shelf. Please, please join in our Third . . .

HEY BUDDY! — New Book by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras)

Aug 03 2023

Hey Buddy! Portraits of Friends by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975-77) Independently Published 150 pages July 2023 $18.00 (Paperback) Reviewed by Mark D. Walker (Guatemala 1971–73) Lihosit and I were contemporaries in the Peace Corps in Central America and both married women south of the border. Still, I didn’t connect with him until I became a writer after my international development career ended. Lihosit has written 19 books so far, and I’ve delighted in reading and reviewing several of them. I even used his book on writing and publishing a memoir to write my first book, Different Latitudes. After all he’s seen and done over the years, these memorable descriptions of his friendships seem a perfect time as he dedicates his book “For the Next Generation.” He also reflects on what makes friendships special, “Different friends have always been secret ingredients” Lihosit refers to himself as an “old Yahoo,” . . .

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers’ Award for Best Book for a Young Reader

Jul 14 2023

Kansas Kaleidoscope Mark G. Wentling Honduras (1967–69) & Togo (1970–73) In many ways, 11-year-old Marky is a typical kid in 1950s Kansas. He collects baseball cards like other boys his age, goes fishing and hunting with his father, and has a good shot at winning his town’s annual turtle race. But his family is not immune to hardships. Marky and his siblings, for example, rarely see their dad, Boyd, who works the graveyard shift at an aircraft plant 30 miles away. Their mother, Gerry, is a manic-depressive; Marky adores her but is perpetually worried about her oscillating moods. After two decades of marriage and six children, Marky’s parents engage in arguments that escalate in frequency and violence. Intense fights send Gerry fleeing to a neighbor’s house only for Boyd to chase her down. With his older siblings out of the nest, Marky becomes the protector of his two . . .

Crafting a Plan to Meet California’s Carbon Neutral Goals | Shereen D’Souza (Honduras)

Jun 09 2023

Shereen D’Souza’s (Honduras 2001-04) path to becoming an environmental leader began when she joined the Peace Corps straight out of college and was assigned to help hillside subsistence farmers in Honduras. D’Souza ’12 MESc went on to tackle urban food justice in Oakland, California, and agricultural issues in her ancestral home in India. Her interest in international work led her to YSE, where she was impressed by Michael Dove, Margaret K. Musser Professor of Social Ecology, whose work focuses on environmental relations of local communities in South and Southeast Asia. After graduating from YSE, D’Souza served in the U.S. Department of State as an adaptation and loss and damage negotiator, where she was engaged in the process that ultimately resulted in the Paris Agreement and its adoption. D’Souza is now deputy secretary for climate policy and intergovernmental relations with the California EPA. She is working with the team at . . .

“Coming to Grips with Poverty in Africa”

May 03 2023

American Diplomacy May 1, 2023 by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras 1967-69 & Togo 1970-73) • Reducing poverty has been at the heart of U.S. foreign assistance in dozens of low-income countries for more than a half-century. Despite U.S. foreign policy objectives, much work, and hundreds of billions of assistance dollars expended, the poorest of the poor have not advanced. While some low-income countries have made some small progress, after decades of aid most are still in the bottom ranks of absolute poverty. All the countries in the Least Developed Country (LDC) category have more poor people than ever before. Thirty-seven of forty-seven of these LDC countries are in Africa. Although a handful of countries have graduated from LDC status, this disturbing ranking remains basically unchanged since the LDC list was established by the UN General Assembly in 1971. This unchanging list of extremely poor countries tells us that a better . . .