January 1, 2006: Headlines: COS - Guatemala: Writing - Guatemala: Amazon: RPCV Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand writes " When I Was Elena"
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January 1, 2006: Headlines: COS - Guatemala: Writing - Guatemala: Amazon: RPCV Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand writes " When I Was Elena"
RPCV Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand writes " When I Was Elena"
This book could use a subtitle, something along the lines of "What I Learned in Guatemala as a Peace Corps Volunteer." The title alone says little about the book, and its target audience could pass it right by without a second glance. Which would be a pity, because it really is a very good book.
RPCV Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand writes " When I Was Elena"
This book could use a subtitle, something along the lines of "What I Learned in Guatemala as a Peace Corps Volunteer." The title alone says little about the book, and its target audience could pass it right by without a second glance. Which would be a pity, because it really is a very good book. When she was 22 years old, "fresh from college in the refined Deep South," the author-- much to the consternation of her parents--headed off to Guatemala, where she soon discovered that her every preconception about the country was either woefully inadequate or flat-out wrong. It was her chance meeting with several women (including a fugitive from justice and an incest victim who had not yet reached her teenage years) that enabled Hiltebrand to see what Guatemala was really all about. The book is a sort of a hybrid: some chapters are written as straight autobiography, while others are more like a novel, ostensibly written from the point of view of the women whose lives the author touched. Rich in detail and character, this memoir will have great appeal for anyone interested in Guatemala or in volunteer work. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Publishers Weekly
In 1991, Hiltebrand, then 22, jettisoned her Southern belle sorority life for two years in rural Guatemala, armed with her dog, fluency in Spanish and a well-grounded blend of will and pluck ("National Geographic lied," she declares upon arrival). In the country's crushing poverty and rampant hazards, along with the worshipful envy Hiltebrand elicits as a "gringa," the author finds an unexpected lode of humor that she mines to impressive effect, gently but not jeeringly. She records events with unflinching precision, leavened with an amiable sense of the absurd—as when a crone blithely steals Hiltebrand's mattress, which is imbued with new value by a white woman's touch. Even the kindness extended to her is riddled with poignant irony, as a neighbor slaughters her chickens to feed the author's ailing dog. The country's more menacing figures—lewd men, including a would-be rapist—are introduced without histrionics, as products of a culture viewed with clear-eyed, anthropological interest. Hiltebrand's travelogue is intercut with the quietly powerful life stories of the native women she befriends, and the tectonic shifts in perspective create a rich mosaic of culture and character. Though in spots Hiltebrand's prose feels thickly applied, her animated voice reliably shines through. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
When this story was posted in February 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9. |
| Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now. |
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
| Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
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