Customer Reviews

Mango Elephants in the Sun

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I found out I was going to Cameroon I did a search on Amazon.com for "Cameroon". This was by far the most helpful hit I received. After reading the book I went to northern Cameroon in March 2000 on a humanitarian mission with the Air Force. It was just coincidence that I went to the same general area as the book (Garoua & Maroua). Reading this book gave me a greater understanding of the people and the culture. Everything in this book rang true, the poverty, the close families, the emphisis on class, the small town doctors, and the basic generosity of the people. Her honest narrative and personal approch to her subject is unmatched. I felt her friendship and frustration. Her friends became my friends and it left me wishing for an update on how they are today. This is a book about two years of a persons life. Cameroon and the Peace Corps are just the framework. Her writing was so vivid I now would read anything by her no matter what the subject. If you enjoy people and their complexities..... read this book.

I felt compelled to write this review because folks who have criticized it as more personal narrative and "journal-y" have completely missed the point. If you notice the title, the book was never meant to be a narrative of "what to expect if you are going into the Peace Corps" rather it is a spiritual and magical retelling of a young woman's personal and physical journey into the unknown. Herrera weaves a beautifully human story with personal detail, private pain and vivid images that takes the reader on her journey into the North African desert.

If you happen to be looking for "what to expect" you will definitely get a sense of life as a Peace Corps volunteer...in all its vivid detail...but if you think that is the point of reading this book... you will have missed the point entirely.

I stumbled upon this book, which I'd never heard of, while browsing in the library, and checked it out on a whim. It proved to be a real stroke of luck, because the book was a delight to read. Not only does it paint a fascinating picture of life in a small Cameroonian village -- a far cry from what it's like here in the United States -- but the story of the author's personal journey, told with honesty and integrity, is compelling in its own right. The biggest surprise was that Herrera is a very talented writer with a real gift for poetry.

I recently applied to be a Peace Corps volunteer and naturally wanted to learn of some personal experiences. I purchased several personal memoirs from returned volunteers. I have read both this novel and "The Ponds of Kalambayi" by Mike Tidwell. They are both excellent resources for anyone interested in the Peace Corps...or even anyone just interested in learning about different cultures. I really enjoyed reading both of these books. They are very well-written.

Susana Herrera has written a beautiful and moving account of her experiences in Cameroon. She has a gift for writing and for poetry, and more important is open to learning from a very different culture than her own. In addition, the book is very funny. Herrera has a sense of humor about others and about herself.

As a Peace Corps volunteer just three years home, I haven't been inspired to read other volunteers' experiences because of the intensity of my own. However, one of my professors loaned this book to me thinking that since Susana was in the Peace Corps in Africa as I was, I would be interested in reading it. It turns out that I was. She has a beautiful way of expressing what happens to lots of volunteers; the fear, the confusion, the coming to terms with oneself and one's surroundings, the eventual pride in oneself for sticking it out in the most difficult of situations. I suggest that former volunteers pick this one up. If you haven't already come to terms with your experience, this book will put you on the road.

It's hard to tell who was changed more when Susana Herrera went to a small village in northern Cameroon to teach as a Peace Corps volunteer: the villagers or Susana. She brought a hidden capacity of strength and independence as a woman and the ability to ride a bike. They brought an understanding of how a person could feel at home in her own skin. It's hard to tell who got the better bargain.

But the reader wins the most from this touching story of a frightened and self-conscious young person who becomes a fierce and vibrant woman treasured by the people she comes to help and ends up learning so much from. Through storms, droughts, anarchy in the classroom, life-threatening illness, political upheaval, love, hate, competition and pain, the author learns how to live--in her own skin. A phenomenal book, particularly for a first book. There is something important about embracing life in this memoir that will speak to every reader.

I'm reading this book right now for an English class at the school where Ms. Herrera currently teaches. After hearing her slide show on the book, the images she describes were brought to life. Without this, it still is a great book. It's more about what would I do in her position than it is about being a volunteer. For those who want to read a story about the need to fit in in a new place, this is it!

I am soon to depart for Cameroon with Peace Corps to teach science, and have been looking everywhere for information. When I came across this book, I was excited by all of the positive reviews, and bought it. I agree that this is a good book, but is somewhat romaticized. Maybe it's just because the author is 23, and learning what all of us learn at one time or another in our twenties. I also skipped ALL of the poetry sections. I love poetry, but none of these poems held my attention or sparked any insight for me. It is simply the expressive poetry written by a girl trying to find herself. If you're looking for a realistic view of PC, look elsewhere. If you're trying to decide if you want to join, it's a great book to get you fired up. For the real Q and A on Peace Corps, try "So you want to be in Peace Corps? Here's what you should know". Much more informative and practical.

Navajo Indian woman Susana Herrera decides to put her violent childhood and abusive marriage behind by joining the American Peace Corp. Signing on for a two year stint in Cameroon Africa to teach young children, she has no idea just what she has gotten herself into.

Arriving on the West Coast of Africa where temperatures get well over 125 degrees and where the land is as dry as the Sahara, Susana's first struggle is to gain respect and trust from the local villagers of Guidiguis. Peace Corp volunteers are not to interfere with local politics, government rules and regulations, and are not encouraged to attempt trying to change, or improve the lifestyle of the native people. They are to mingle, commune with, and live the life as the locals do, not allowing themselves too many outside luxuries or comforts in order to achieve acceptance and gain an accurate picture of a realistic life in their foreign surroundings.

This is a hilarious, yet poignant heartwarming memoir that both humbles and inspires Susana. The reader will laugh out loud as she learns to balance water buckets on her head, eat fried locusts, twist the neck of her dinner time chicken, run for her life as snakes invade the outhouse, and when ravenous termites literally chomp away at her bed leaving her lying one morning, mattress on the ground. You will also cry with her as she witnesses death and disease and the frustration of the villagers who live and breathe to suffer through extreme poverty. Slowly inching her way into the hearts of the local women who teach her to cook local delicacies, she stands up to the men who are used to ordering their wives about, and gains the unconditional love of a classroom full of precious children so eager to learn English. Their goal is to learn enough to someday free themselves from their plight of living in a barren land devoid of enough food and water to keep their families alive.

Susana's tale is so full of love and hope as she becomes one with the Cameroon people. Falling in love with the local Doctor, adopting two teenage sons that teach her the African way and protect her from harm when local uprisings threaten their village, teaching the kids to cook pizza and making home-made banana splits that melt in minutes, are scenes that will have readers enchanted with her story. You too will be smitten with these people who although have nothing, are so rich in the art of loving, giving, and who welcome Susana with open arms.

The author is a very talented writer, the story is beautifully written with lavish descriptive prose. The real treat here is the interjected fun poems that are told through the eyes of a lizard as he watches Susana's adventures through love and loss and her incredible stamina to recreate her own identity, as well as bring laughter and learning to the people of Africa. This is probably one of the best travel narratives I'm come across yet, I really loved Susana's story!