A young woman travels to Africa. As a teacher in the Peace Corps, she comes of age, falling in love and having adventures. Having grown up in the segregated South of the United States, finding herself surrounded by Africans, whose greeting for her translated Peeled One, she had some adjustments to make. She learned to live with people who were not racist, and who were hospitable and kind. But by the time she came back to America, she was changed forever, and the second culture shock was finding that her own country had changed too, and would never be the same.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
This slim book is a testament to the influence that the experience oin the Peace Corps had on its volunteers far more than what the volunteers accomplished in the foreign lands. That said, one can enjoy the story that Hirsch tells and admire her spirit of adventure and her adaptability to extremely unusual circumstances. ...There is no doubt that the author was a changed person after her Peace Corps experience, and her growth is admirable to read about. -- Doris Hyatt, KLIATT
From the Author
To all travelers, and to those who welcome them
Preface: As I look back on my life, I realize that the most important part of my education came from the travels I made just after college, as a Peace Corps volunteer. I set forth in 1966, thinking that I had a lot to offer, full of myself. What I encountered was a country, Nigeria, entirely different from my own, as different as black and white. I who, had grown up in the segregated south, now integrated an African city, becoming the first white woman to move inside its walls. The friends I made there welcomed me with the fulness of the Moslem welcome to the stranger, especially Alhaji, who introduced me to his culture, took me under his wing, and taught me about life. I think now that getting to know our far-away neighbors, dropping our defenses, and opening our heart is all that we need to learn. The journey ended too soon...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
good story,
By A Customer
This review is from: Alhaji: A Peace Corps Adventure in Nigeria (Paperback)
This was an interesting story and made you feel like you were there; gave you a good idea about Africa and about the Peace Corps.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing and uninformative,
By A Customer
This review is from: Alhaji: A Peace Corps Adventure in Nigeria (Paperback)
As a future Peace Corps volunteer in neighboring Burkina Faso, I was hoping to get insights into the lives of Volunteers and Africans in the area. This book fell horribly short of my expectations. Hirsch mentions virtually nothing about her duties as a Peace Corps Volunteer, giving the reader little insight into her work here. The book reads like a string of short, random memories that aren't organized in any meaningful way, and she often writes something that seems like it will be the beginning of a good story, but then abruptly switches topics. Even her discussion of Nigerian culture is minimal. What stood out most when I finished this book was Hirsch's several brief mentions of her sexual encounters in Nigeria, which earned her the title "Peace Corps Harlot" and which she describes with the bashful simplicity and superficiality of a twelve-year-old. I was hoping for something informative and inspiring, and this was definitely neither. I suppose that some people could consider this book to be a mildly interesting light read, but for someone interested in the Peace Corps experience, this book did nothing for me. Its 90 or so pages were a relief to finish.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
alhaji,
By A Customer
This review is from: Alhaji: A Peace Corps Adventure in Nigeria (Paperback)
I found this book left me hanging...it is not only slim in size but slim as well in development of the story. I was anxious to hear more about the people and the environment but instead was disappointed in what I got back. The idea to write this book was well taken but it could have easily been many more pages.
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