2009.08.19: August 19, 2009: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Writing - Morocco: Danville Commercial News: Morocco RPCV Thomas Hollowell is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden"

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Morocco: Peace Corps Morocco : Peace Corps Morocco: Newest Stories: 2009.08.19: August 19, 2009: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Writing - Morocco: Danville Commercial News: Morocco RPCV Thomas Hollowell is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden"

By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 1:28 pm: Edit Post

Morocco RPCV Thomas Hollowell is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden"

Morocco RPCV Thomas Hollowell is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden"

The book tells the true story of a Moroccan doctor who was one of the longest-held POWs in world history, a victim of a forgotten war deep in the Sahara Desert of Morocco. Those Sahara sands have been long venerated by Muslims as Allah's Garden. The book takes a unique twist, however, as Hollowell intersperses accounts of his own life in Morocco among the chapters about the doctor's captivity. A publisher had suggested mixing Hollowell's stories with the doctor's to give people some lighter reading along the way. The book starts with the attack on the doctor's village and ends with the author and the doctor meeting each other. "It works … it gives people a break," Hollowell said.

Morocco RPCV Thomas Hollowell is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden"

African adventure

Author tells doctor's story in first book
BY MARY WICOFF

Caption: Thomas Hollowell signs a page in his book "Allah's Garden" for Bridget Holem of Danville. The Danville Public Library hosted the author for an informational meeting and book signing Tuesday. Photo: Susan Joy McKinney/Commercial-News/

DANVILLE - Folks in Gessie, Ind., knew the Hollowell twins would make a name for themselves one day. As children, brothers Thomas and Terry were intelligent, creative and curious - traits that led them to travel the world and have adventures.

Now, Thomas, 30, who lives in Morocco, is traveling in the United States, promoting his first book, "Allah's Garden." The non-fiction book is getting good reviews from those who have read it.

"It's wonderful," said Janet Sare of Gessie, a former neighbor. The Hollowell boys and her grandson, Dustin Poer, now of Covington, Ind., used to play together.

"I'm proud of what he's done with his life," she said. "To have the courage, to go to a foreign country, and have the perseverance to stick with the guy (featured in the book) and to write the story … I'm truly amazed."

"I knew when he was 4 years old, he was going to do something great," Sare added.

The book tells the true story of a Moroccan doctor who was one of the longest-held POWs in world history, a victim of a forgotten war deep in the Sahara Desert of Morocco. Those Sahara sands have been long venerated by Muslims as Allah's Garden.

The book takes a unique twist, however, as Hollowell intersperses accounts of his own life in Morocco among the chapters about the doctor's captivity.

A publisher had suggested mixing Hollowell's stories with the doctor's to give people some lighter reading along the way. The book starts with the attack on the doctor's village and ends with the author and the doctor meeting each other.

"It works … it gives people a break," Hollowell said.

Love of travel

A 1996 graduate of North Vermillion High School, Hollowell and his twin graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., in 2000. The brothers worked in Costa Rica for a short time.

Then, Thomas worked at the Center for Children's Services in Danville for about a year and taught English as a Second Language at Danville Area Community College.

He joined the Peace Corps in 2002, and requested to be placed in Morocco. While at Wabash, he had met two Moroccans and was intrigued by their culture and country.

After less than a year with the Peace Corps, Hollowell decided to stay in the country. He worked in Rabat as a language instructor and later moved to Ifrane - where he lives now - and taught English at a high school. He speaks French and Arabic.

In 2003, one of his students invited him home to meet a man who had been a POW for 25 years; the student thought Hollowell could write a magazine article about the man's life.

"I became enthralled with this guy's story," he said, referring to the doctor known as Azeddine. He interviewed the doctor at various times over the next year, and began writing the story.

"I wanted the book to be something that would read like a novel, but also read like nonfiction," he said.

Hollowell talked to several authors and publishers before he settled upon the book's present format. He spent more than three years writing and editing it.

Trip to Morocco

During this time, Hollowell left teaching and started a travel Web site called Journey Beyond Travel. The company offers customized tours of Morocco. He still owns it, but other people run it.

Because of that connection, he and the publisher are offering a free 10-night trip to Morocco in west Africa to two people whose names are chosen in a drawing. People who have bought the book are eligible for the drawing, with the winner announced in January.

"It's a very secure country, very modern and Western in their thought," he said. The people are friendly and hospitable, and rely on tourism. It's also a diverse country, with coasts, mountains, forests and deserts.

Once his book was published, Yale University invited Hollowell to make presentations at its summer institute on health and conflict in the Middle East. The university paid for his flight to the United States.

He's doing book signings now, including a book launch party in New York, and will stay in the Indiana area until Sept. 20. A book signing earlier this week at the Danville Public Library went well, he said, and another is planned for Saturday at Waldenbooks.

Hollowell has explored more than 35 countries and territories, and just finished writing "The Everything Travel Guide to Ireland," which will be published in March. He also has several other writing projects in mind.

His twin, Terry, is a freelance writer in Connecticut, and also helps with the Moroccan tours. Their parents are Karol Pedraza of Gessie and David Hollowell of Covington.

COMING UP

Thomas Hollowell will sign copies of his book, "Allah's Garden," from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Waldenbooks in the Village Mall. The 200-page softcover book, which sells for $14.95, is available at Waldenbooks or at most bookstores online. It's published by Tales Press in Urbana.

ON THE WEB

-- More information about the book and registering to win a trip to Morocco is available at http://www.allahs-garden.com

-- The book's publisher is at http://www.talespress.com

-- Hollowell's site is http://www.thomashollowell.com

-- His travel company may be visited at http://www.journeybeyondtravel.com




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: August, 2009; Peace Corps Morocco; Directory of Morocco RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Morocco RPCVs; Writing - Morocco





When this story was posted in August 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers RSS Feed

 Site Index Search PCOL with Google Contact PCOL Recent Posts Bulletin Board Open Discussion RPCV Directory Register

Memo to Incoming Director Williams Date: August 24 2009 No: 1419 Memo to Incoming Director Williams
PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams

Join Us Mr. President! Date: June 26 2009 No: 1380 Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .

Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director Date: July 30 2009 No: 1411 Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director
Senator Dodd's Senate Subcommittee held confirmation hearings for Aaron Williams to become the 18th Peace Corps Director. "It's exciting to have a nominee who served in the Peace Corps and also has experience in international development and management," said Dodd as he put Williams on the fast track to be confirmed by the full Senate before the August recess. Read our exclusive coverage of the hearings and our biography of Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams.

July 11, 2009: House says Yes, Senate No Date: July 11 2009 No: 1390 July 11, 2009: House says Yes, Senate No
Senate Funding for Peace Corps Falls Short of Goal 10 Jul
House supports $450M Peace Corps Budget 17 Jun
Senator Kit Bond says PC is Smart Power 29 Jun
Parents Keep Dream Alive for Fallen Zambia PCV 3 Jul
PCVs Safe in Honduras after Coup 28 Jun
Jahanshah Javid recalls Peace Corps Volunteers in Iran 22 Jun
Peace Corps to return to Sierra Leone in 2010 18 Jun
Ryan Van Duzer rode bike from Honduras to Boulder 17 Jun
Monica Mills Named a Top Grassroots Lobbyist 12 Jun
Tiffany Nelson teaches - and learns in China 12 Jun
Dr. Roger Brooks spent 35 years with Concord Schools 9 Jun
Dr. Catherine Taylor Foster administered Polio vaccine in Nepal 8 Jun
Bill Lorah Runs Pre-Collegiate Program in Colorado 7 Jun
Brian Carroll writes: An African village adapts 7 Jun
Rebekah Martin finds love is not enough 6 Jun
Peter Bartholomew helps preserve Korean traditional culture 5 Jun
Obama speaks to Islamic World at Cairo University 4 Jun
Matt Hepp combines humanitarian and climbing objectives 4 Jun
Juana Bordas named 2009 Unique Woman of Colorado 2 Jun
Phil Hardberger left his mark on San Antonio 31 May
Philip Nix retires as headmaster of Day School 31 May

New: More Stories from June and July 2009

Director Ron Tschetter:  The PCOL Interview Date: December 9 2008 No: 1296 Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.



Read the stories and leave your comments.








Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Danville Commercial News

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Morocco; Writing - Morocco

PCOL44580
39


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: