The book that inspired this list: Dear Exile.

Letters from Togo: May still read this, but it’s lookin’ a little to pretentious for my taste….

The Trouble With Africa: A memoire-ish reflection on why Africa has had such a hard time “developing,” despite billions of dollars in free money for over 40 years. His analysis certainly fits with everything my compatriots and I have seen, I think. A personal illustration of his assertion that Africans have a patience for suffering that’s unheard of in the US: We’ve had a bat problem, meaning that there were bats between our ceiling and the roof doing what bats do: creating a lot of guano. Guano, in case you didn’t know, isn’t exactly a good thing to be breathing in on a daily basis. When I explained the “problem” of the bats to the guy charged with cleaning them and their leavings out and closing up the access points, he responded: “Well, I guess it’s because you aren’t used to it that you think it’s a problem.” Damn straight, and may I never become “used to it.”

Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Finally got around to reading this. Erdman presents a pretty good picture of what it’s like to be a white PCV in West Africa, I think. I find myself wondering what she was doing delivering babies (not a PC-sanctioned activity), but that’s mostly irrelevant. Mostly, I find it sad that Phoebe and I are not having as many of the good parts of the experienced described. Is it us? Is it Houègbo? We may never know. At any rate, I don’t think I’ll be writing a book about our two years.