Malaysia

1
An Interview with James A. Wolter (Malaysia), author of FINDING MISS FONG
2
Review — “LOOK HERE, SIR, WHAT A CURIOUS BIRD” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia)
3
FINDING MISS FONG by James A. Wolter (Malaya)
4
New books by Peace Corps writers | July–August 2023
5
“LOOK HERE, SIR, WHAT A CURIOUS BIRD” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia)
6
“Peace Corps Accomplishment” by James Wolter (Malaysia)
7
Mary Anne Newell (Malaysia 1965-68)
8
Pamela Kosswig Juhl (Malaysia 1966-69)
9
Lynn Ralph Juhl (Malaysia 1966-69)

An Interview with James A. Wolter (Malaysia), author of FINDING MISS FONG

In the news —    Feathered Quill reviewer Barbara Bamberger Scott is talking with James A. Wolter (Malaysia 1962-66), author of Finding Miss Fong. •  FQ: How long did it take to write this book? While a memoir at heart, I can imagine that there still must have been a lot of fact-gathering. WOLTER: Finding Miss Fong has been percolating in my mind for 60 years. Before my best Peace Corps friend, Bob Hoyle, unexpectedly died in October 2021, he told me I had no more time and to get writing. I started writing immediately as if I were talking to Bob directly, and I couldn’t stop. I finished writing my story by August 2022. The stories just flowed. I could see them in my mind. I was 22 years old again and in Malaysia. It was as if I were watching a movie of my life. I didn’t have to . . .

Read More

Review — “LOOK HERE, SIR, WHAT A CURIOUS BIRD” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia)

  “Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia 1969-71) Explorer’s Eye Press 289 pages July 2023 $17.95 (Paperback)   Reviewed by Ed Putka (Malaysia 1969-72) By the time most people graduate from college, they mostly have an idea of a career. For me, the plan was Peace Corps, a little travel, a little diary, then back home to law school and a career in the law. Others let the road shape their careers. And so it seems with Paul Sochaczewski, a prolific writer and intrepid adventurer. After finishing college in 1969, Sochaczewski joined me and 125 other volunteers in Malaysia Group XXIV. Southeast Asia was in full conflict, but our destination, Sarawak, was an exotic and relatively quiet place. Sochaczewski fell for it, becoming immediately fascinated with not only the culture, but the sounds and smells, the spirits and the shamans, the flora and fauna of . . .

Read More

FINDING MISS FONG by James A. Wolter (Malaya)

  Finding Miss Fong by James A. Wolter (Malaya 1961-63) Atmosphere Press 382 pages November 2023 (pre-order available) $ 18.99 (Paperback)   Set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1960s in Malaya, now known as peninsular Malaysia, Finding Miss Fong is the journey of Jim Wolter, a character pulsating with life-changing aspirations and determination. The novel begins with Wolter abandoning medical school and the insistent matrimonial arrangements by his mother, who wishes for him to marry Lolly. Instead, Wolter’s soul yearns for an adventure that promises to be fulfilling, a journey where he can make a tangible impact by teaching biology in the remote areas of Malaya. However, his high expectations are met with a harsh reality. Wolter’s noble pursuit is thwarted by his unscrupulous boss, pushing him to the brink of despair and driving him to contemplate a return to Chicago. But Malaya has other plans for Wolter. Enter Miss Fong . . .

Read More

New books by Peace Corps writers | July–August 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 . . .

Read More

“LOOK HERE, SIR, WHAT A CURIOUS BIRD” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia)

  “Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird”: Searching for Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s Faithful Companion by Paul Sochaczewski (Malaysia 1969-71) Explorer’s Eye Press 289 pages July 2023 $8.95 (Kindle); $17.95 (Paperback)   Bestselling author Paul Sochaczewski’s highly acclaimed nonfiction books of personal travel include the five-volume Curious Encounters of the Human Kind series, An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen, Soul of the Tiger (with Jeff McNeely), and Searching for Ganesha. Gary Braver, bestselling author of Tunnel Vision, said Paul’s work is “in the great tradition of Asian reporting. The humanity of Somerset Maugham, the adventure of Joseph Conrad, the perception of Paul Theroux, and a self-effacing voice uniquely his own.” Paul’s handbook for people who want to write their personal stories, Share Your Journey, is based on the personal writing workshops he runs in more than 20 countries. Redheads and EarthLove are his eco-thrillers, . . .

Read More

“Peace Corps Accomplishment” by James Wolter (Malaysia)

  A Writer Writes by Jim Wolter (Malaysia 1962-66) • Sultan Sulaiman Secondary School had no biology or senior math teacher, no library and a floundering boy scout troop before I arrived. Within weeks my biology and math students were making significant progress, I started a library using my own books and revived the scout troop. So I couldn’t understand why I was being replaced by a new PCV and transferred to Tengku Bariah Secondary School (TBSS). I suggested that the Peace Corps assign the new PCV to TBSS, but was told the Ministry of Education’s decision was final and not open for discussion. Worse, upon reporting to TBSS, I was assigned to teach Islamic Studies to students preparing to sit for the Lower Certificate of Education (LCE). I told the Headmaster I knew nothing about Islam and couldn’t possibly teach it. He said that if the Muslim teachers taught . . .

Read More

Mary Anne Newell (Malaysia 1965-68)

Monday, November 21 3:42 pm 1959-1960. I was 20 and a college junior when I spent a school year abroad in Grenoble, France. Experiences of that year exposed me to conditions of poverty that my sheltered American life had prevented, and which left me with troubling questions about my life choices. Fall 1960. A young presidential candidate offered the possibility of an American “Youth Corps” that would be a source of aid to third world countries. Thousands like myself responded to the idea with an overwhelming enthusiasm. At Colorado State, my university, three professors were selected as an advance study team to s survey prospective governments in Asia, Africa and South America about their perceived needs for a “Youth Corps”; and I joined a student committee which distributed questionnaires soliciting attitudes about such an organization to many campuses. The vision that I had longed for had been articulated by John . . .

Read More

Pamela Kosswig Juhl (Malaysia 1966-69)

Monday, November 21 9:21 pm When the first Peace Corps Volunteers left for their overseas assignments, I was a senior in high school. I was so excited about this new program, created by President John F. Kennedy, and remember hoping that this opportunity to live with people of another culture would still be available when I finished college. I am so thankful that it was. It was at a time of growing concern with military involvements, mass demonstrations, the escalation of the cold war, and the negative impact of the ugly American image. The Peace Corps program presented a different image. Working side by side with men and women and children from another country gave Peace Corps Volunteers the chance to know them not as demographic data or vague stereotypes, but rather as human beings no so different from ourselves in many ways. They became our friends. I found that . . .

Read More

Lynn Ralph Juhl (Malaysia 1966-69)

Monday, November 21 9:24 pm MALAYSIA, 1967 Tom, the Peace Corps Regional Representative, had delivered several of us to our sites that day. I was last, the end of the line, the ulu, “in the sticks,” “up river.” Well, Iowa, my home, was ulu in the U.S. too, I thought. It was dusk, “Tom, why not stay here for the night?” “Nope, gotta get back to town,” as he climbed back in the Land Rover. Evening. Might as well take a stroll. “Duduk demana?” Oh, Jeez, I know the words (Where do you sit?), but not the meaning! And that was the first day. Total immersion in a new culture. Ever an outsider, but not quite alien. The only white man some had seen up close – are you healthy? Why is your skin so pale? Why do the little hairs grow on your skin, as little children sometimes tried . . .

Read More

Copyright © 2022. Peace Corps Worldwide.