Living on the Edge contains seventeen remarkable stories by writers who served in the Peace Corps, including well-known authors such as John Coyne, John Givens, Norman Rush and Paul Theroux, as well as work by exciting emerging authors like Mark Jacobs and Marnie Mueller. All these stories reflect the impact the Peace Corps experience had on former volunteers who write across cultures in the literary tradition of Joseph Conrad, E.M. Forster, and Paul Bowles. Each author has included a commentary on how he or she came to write the anthologized story.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Seventeen authorsAsome celebratedAwho served in the Peace Corps at various times over the last three decades offer, in these unusual, enlightening tales, a startling look into the mostly Third World locales they grew to know. The authors' backgrounds and subject matter varies widely, though the themes most often converge in the clash between Western and native cultural ways. Paul Theroux, who served in Malawi in 1963, starts off the collection with the magnificently taut "White Lies," about a horrific parasitic rash set upon a philandering foreigner by his scorned African lover. Technical writer Leslie Simmonds Ekstom's (Nigeria, 1963-65) "On Sunday There Might Be Americans" is a powerfully imagined narrative about an aboriginal boy's scrounging for subsistence in the shadow of rich white interlopers. Marnie Mueller (Ecuador, 1963-65), an NBA winner for her novel Green Fires, explores in her story "Exile" the possibility of cross-cultural romance between an exiled Argentine writer and an American political activist living in Mexico City. Each short fiction is introduced by the author's explanation, "How I Came to Write This Story," often based on true experience or impression, followed by a brief biography. While these details are interesting, at times they may dilute the enjoyment of the stories as vivid creations in their own right. Other authors represented include editor Coyne (Ethiopia, 1962-64), who founded a newsletter for and about Peace Corps writers, and novelist Norman Rush (Botswana, 1978-1993).
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Sick and tired of the lull in contemporary fiction today, with the same old stories told over and over with the same old characters and settings and far too much focused narcissistically on the petty crises of America's overexposed middle class? Then pick up this anthology, a wonderful collection of stories that take you from Africa to South America to Asia while probing important issues of place, identity, and tension in a world grown closer but still suffering from a huge gap between have and have-not nations. And who better to write such stories than Peace Corps volunteers, bright and idealistic Americans who have gone abroad and come back with radically adjusted vision? The stories range widely, from Paul Theroux's "White Lies," a stinging story of one young man's comeuppance in Africa, to Kathleen Coskran's "Sun," which reveals the dangers inherent in reaching across the cultural divide, to Terry Marshall's witty "American Model," which pokes fun at naive American attitudes about "natives." There doesn't seem to be a clunker in the bunch. A terrific idea; highly recommended wherever good literature is read.ABarbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
I was 12 when I started to caddie at Midlothian Country Club, south of Chicago, Illinois. At 16 I was promoted to caddie master. Today I still consider that job the most demanding one I ever had. After graduating from Saint Louis University, I served with the first Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia before becoming a novelist and college administrator. I've written over twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, and edited three books on golf instruction. However, this is my first novel about golf, my lifelong passion. If you want to know more about the book or myself, you can check out: www.TheCaddieWhoKnewBenHogan.com.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!,
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This review is from: Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers (Paperback)
This book is so enjoyable to read. To read about the experiences that our Peace Corps have encountered/endured is such an eye-opener!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection of incredible stories,
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This review is from: Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers (Paperback)
When I picked up this book for the first time, I couldn't understand why the stories were fiction, because it seemed to me that the writer's adventures would be adequate for non-fiction. But, as I read the book, I quickly realized why. Most of the stories seemed to contain only a few fiction portions, and they have probably been changed to protect the characters. These stories have been written by many famous authors who started their writing careers while serving their country in the Peace Corps. They are very diverse, and many tell the often tragic tale of what can happen when different cultures meet. The story about how the Peace Corp was saved in Guatemala is one of the most entertaining stories that I have ever read. Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read,
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This review is from: Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers (Paperback)
I liked the content. I liked the varying styles. It's a good read.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
PAUL THEROUX (Malawi,1963-65) was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi,and after being forced to resign because of alleged political activities against the government, he taught at Makerere University in Uganda, then the leading university in East Africa. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
area rep, shell monies, old abbess, faculty room Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Kgosi Lesetedi, New York, Don Jorge, Miss Ndlovu, Sir Godfrey, Miss Wendy, Pueblo Santo, Buenos Aires, Solomon Islands, Mexico City, United States, Addis Ababa, Harem Sewing Circle, Lady Alice, Presidente Ferndndez, Sampson Omaboe, Coronel Bogado, Headmaster Bockerai, Inspector Cuffy, National Geographic, Rosehill Plantation, C'est Madame, Capitdn Raudales, Grand Hotel du Mali, Keith White New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
PAUL THEROUX (Malawi,1963-65) was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi,and after being forced to resign because of alleged political activities against the government, he taught at Makerere University in Uganda, then the leading university in East Africa. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
area rep, shell monies, old abbess, faculty room Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Kgosi Lesetedi, New York, Don Jorge, Miss Ndlovu, Sir Godfrey, Miss Wendy, Pueblo Santo, Buenos Aires, Solomon Islands, Mexico City, United States, Addis Ababa, Harem Sewing Circle, Lady Alice, Presidente Ferndndez, Sampson Omaboe, Coronel Bogado, Headmaster Bockerai, Inspector Cuffy, National Geographic, Rosehill Plantation, C'est Madame, Capitdn Raudales, Grand Hotel du Mali, Keith White New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 31
books:
See all 31 books this book cites
2
books
cite this book:
- Polite Society by Malanie Sumner in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 118
- Easy in the Islands by Bob Shacochis in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and page 78
- High Price Of Everything (Minnesota Voices Project) by Kathleen Coskran in Front Matter, and page 60
- The River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala (Iowa Short Fiction Award) by Mark Brazaitis in Front Matter, and page 42
- Whole World Guide to Language Learning by Terry Marshall on page 258
See all 31 books this book cites
- The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan by John Coyne in Front Matter
- Romance on the Road by Jeannette Belliveau in Back Matter
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