Customer Reviews

In Search of the Elusive Peace Corps Moment: Destination: Estonia

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I absolutely loved this book. Douglas Wells has a true Midwestern Charm about him that makes this book irresistable. I bought this book and figured I would save it for some summer reading on the farm. But sitting in my dorm I decided I wanted to glimpse over the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. I couldn't even study for my finals and all my friends were asking to borrow it because I seemed to enjoy it so much.

Douglas Wells talks about his sometime arrogant views of Russians, falling in Love, and the frustration of the Peace Corps. He has some memorable stories about the first time he drank the local beer, sauna trips, and uncovering a lost bells from the WW2 era. A postive book about a Peace Corps experience and a real page turn. Might not change your life or rock your world but it will make you laugh and make you want to tell your friends some of his stories.

Nonfiction is usually a gamble at best. Not with Mr. Wells' book. As a returned Peace Corps volunteer, I have constantly looked for any kind of book that would make me remember back to my time spent abroad and conjure up the unique feelings of pride and worth that typically come with a Peace Corps assignment. This is the first book that has really made me dig into my memory and cherish all of those Peace Corps moments once again. Rather than dwelling on some self absorbed search for inner meaning that can usually lead to a way too subjective and personal point of view, Mr. Wells instead chose the more entertaining route of simply telling stories. True stories that are humorous and bring out the character of the country and the locals that he had interacted with. I too married a young local lady as a Peace Corps volunteer, and Mr. Wells' sections on the courting of his wife are both sentimental and hilarious at the same time.
If you are thinking of joining the Peace Corps but have not yet made the decision, read this book and it will make up your mind for you. If you are a returned Peace Corps volunteer who wants to relive the wonderful frustrations and numerous treasured moments that all volunteers take home with them in their hearts forever, this book will rekindle those fires. I thought I would be disappointed with this book, but it was an unexpected and wonderful surprise.

...why our family did so many of the things we did while growing up in New York. As the son of two first generation Estonian immigrants, not only was this one of the most entertaining books I have ever read (I laughed out loud constantly), but it gave me a lot of objective insight into what the Estonian culture is really like, from a first-hand, American point of view.

Douglas Wells does a fantastic job telling stories. Every chapter held my curiosity from the get-go. I have already recommended this book to many of my friends and will continue to do so. My sincerest thank you to Mr. Wells for providing me these hours of pleasure!

As an Estonian-American who grew up in the US and a visitor of Hiiumaa for a 2 -week vacation, after Wells' "Peace Corps Moment", I was pleasantly surpised to find how tourist friendly the island had become, from what I remembered from a previous visit. After reading the book, I realized how much Douglas Wells had been involved in creating the change. Hiiumaa has much to offer and Douglas captures the essence of Hiiumaa and the Estonian character and humor. I very much enjoyed his book and could not help but chuckle my way through it.

This is a self-published book and I wasn't expecting much. I was really pleasantly surprised. Each chapter is a vignette from Douglas's life on Hiiumaa. The writing is good, the editing is crisp, the stories are funny. I think the book says more about Estonia, and about the period just after the events of 1989/1991, than it does about the Peace Corps. I spent quite a bit of time in the Baltics and Russia during the same years as Douglas. For me the book captured the flavor of these times very well.

What a great book! Almost every Peace Corps Volunteer wants to write about their experience. A few succeed in writing their book, but Douglas Wells has succeeded in writing a great book. He has a unique sense of irony which make for a very entertaining read, while at the same time you really feel for him as he struggles to make good as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Irony is not Wells' only gift. He is also extremely thoughtful and insightful, which give the entire book the sense that you are peaking into someone's personal diary. The themes, however, are universal to the Peace Corps experience. When he compares the stunned look on the Estonians' faces when he begins to address them in their native language to Planet of the Apes, (the original, not the Mark Wahlberg remake) when the simians first learn that Charlton Heston can speak...I don't think there are many Peace Corps Volunteers who can not relate to this. Yet only Douglas Wells would have ever come up with such a comparison.

This book is a great read for anyone interested in what the Peace Corps Experience is really like. Also a very good read for those interested in Estonia.

Not only a great read but also informative. As one of the first Peace Corps books I read I didn't know what to expect but it was surprisingly good. I have read numerous Peace Corps book since but this one remains my favorite.

I visited Estonia a few weeks ago, and this book is a decent guide to Estonian culture, though maybe more on the rural side. I also enjoyed Douglas's sense of humour, and great storytelling skills.

I ordered 2 copies of the book as Christmas presents. It arrived at my office & I started glimpsing at different parts of the book.
It ended up, that I couldn't put it down. Hillarious! It was also an interesting way to see how Estonians look to people from outside of our culture. I can just imagine Douglas in the sauna! Too funny!

I truly enjoyed Mr. Wells' article "The Bell of Emmaste" in the June 2002 READER'S DIGEST (Canadian Edition). I was even more delighted when I read his book "In Search of the Elusive Peace Corps Moment". Douglas Wells is a very talented story teller. I look forward to reading his next book.