Triumph & Hope: Golden Years With The Peace Corps in Honduras [Paperback]

Barbara E. Joe (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 29, 2008

When the author announced plans to join the Peace Corps in her 60s, a male friend was skeptical, predicting her prompt return home, “by Christmas at the latest.” But thanks to the welcoming folks of two towns—El Triunfo, The Triumph, and La Esperanza, The Hope—acknowledged in her book’s title—she extended her stay beyond the usual term and finally made peace with the tragedy of her son’s untimely death. A powerful, inspiring personal story that offers an intimate look inside Peace Corps service, showing that no matter what your age and circumstances, you can always forge a new direction. Readers will discover, step-by-step and on the ground, what Peace Corps service is really like, its ups and downs, adventures and challenges. Ample illustrations enhance the reading experience. Baby boomers contemplating their next life passage will be especially interested in this frank and moving recital.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barbara E. Joe, a native of Boston, is a freelance writer, Spanish interpreter, and translator living on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. She is the author of numerous newspaper and magazine articles and several technical books. This is her first book for a general audience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (December 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439222029
• ISBN-13: 978-1439222027
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 8.9 x 5.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara E. Joe, a native of Boston, holds BA and MA degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. A human rights activist for 30 years, she has lived or traveled in more than 45 countries and now works as a writer and Spanish interpreter and translator in Washington, D.C. "Trumph & Hope: Golden Years with the Peace Corps in Honduras," her first book for a general audience, was named Best Peace Corps memoir of 2009 by Peace Corps Writers, Best New Non-Fiction Finalist by National Indie Excellence Awards, and Finalist, Best New Non-Fiction, National Best Books. Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post declared, "Barbara's book is a great read...Buy and read this book, no matter your age" and Midwest Book Review called it "an inspiring read." Barbara has given numerous presentations about her book and Peace Corps service at libraries, universities, conferences, and bookstores (see http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Peace-Corps-Marks-50-Years-of-Promoting-Peace-Understanding-128416353.html, http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Lifestyle/Achieving-Your-Dreams-Over-40.html, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc_i84jrfQs). The book is available in paperback and Kindle versions and was recorded by the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Triumph and Hope January 12, 2010

By Ramiro Peńa

Format:Paperback

Barbara E. Joe writes with agility and wit. This book is required reading for all those persons who skillfully persuade themselves that it is better to put off things until tomorrow. Barbara Joe's book reminds us that life doesn't wait until tomorrow and that unforeseen circumstances sometimes compel us to follow our dreams. I am reminded of a chapter in Bertrand Russell's The Conquest of Happiness - "Zest" or enthusiasm...you don't write books like Triumph and Hope without a full tank of zest. But in Barbara Joe's case this life-affirming quality is borne out of desolation and despair, and for that reason all the more uplifting.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read August 12, 2009

By Jerry L. Wnuck

Format:Paperback

Barbara Joe's book "Triumph & Hope" is a must read for anyone who has ever lived or is thought about living in an undeveloped counrty. It is an extremely senistive, well written book. The tale of her years in Honduras covers the ups and downs, the joy and frustration and the dreams and achievements of goals reached and those beyond reach. For me, who entered Peace Corp in mid-life it brought back many memories even though our experiences and locations were total different. I found the book delightful and charming and have given it to numerous people as a gift.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! July 27, 2009

By Natalie Burman

Format:Paperback

I just finished this book and thought it was excellent. I am a former Peace Corps volunteer (El Salvador '96-'98) and simply wanted to say that I thought the book really gives the reader a view from the inside, a real life perspective of the hardships, challenges, and joy of living in Central America. I can relate to so many of the stories and personalities in the book. It's amazing how the book brought back intense emotions and memories for me. I admire the author's dedication and commitment to the people of Latin America, as well as her courage to welcome so many adventures. The book was simply a great, inspiring reminder of the many ways we can all contribute to the global society.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One day at a time June 3, 2009

By Virginia A. Mattern

Format:Paperback

Barbara Joe tells the good and bad of life in the Peace Corps, and she does it in an entertaining way. Even little things are a struggle, but somehow, day by day, her efforts add up to successes. I don't know if the realities that Barbara Joe describes will encourage or discourage volunteers, but those who read and choose to volunteer will be better informed of what there decision means. And I'm certainly glad for all the people, like Barbara Joe, who are willing to give up their own comfort to help others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars One person, one book, makes a difference April 28, 2009

By Mark E. Laxer

Format:Paperback

Interested in joining Peace Corps? Interested in how one person, seemingly against all odds, can make a significant difference in peoples' lives? Interested in finding shades of triumph and hope in what seems too often a dark, cruel world? I much enjoyed reading about Barbara's personal odyssey and I feel as though I've learned quite a bit about Honduran, and Peace Corps culture, along the way. For me there was no single moment in the work, in her work, that stands out. Rather, it is her daily persistence, dedication, and sensitivity, applied over three years, which form the core of her message and her achievement. Well done, Barbara. You serve as an excellent role model, the best the USA has to put forward.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventures in Good Works with the Peace Corps in Honduras December 11, 2009

By Barbara C. Hogan

Format:Paperback

When Barbara Joe tells you, as her treasure trove of a book opens, that "the essential qualifications for surviving the Peace Corps experience are flexibility, imagination, initiative and commitment," take her very seriously. Being with her in Honduras, the poorest country in the hemisphere -- and you are there, because her writing is so vivid, so completely engaging -- you'll get Montezuma's Revenge several times no matter how careful you are, be stung by a scorpion, be robbed repeatedly, find yourself often unable to eat your tortilla at a table thick with flies from dishes rinsed in cold water with no soap, sometimes find yourself surrounded with the stench of God-knows-what-all, find yourself caught in a dangerous tormenta (you've not been in a thunderstorm until you've been in a tropical thunderstorm) and have lightning strike so close it leaves you with a tingling scalp and significant hearing loss, and, if you're anything like me, you'll be screaming at the earliest pages, "My Gawd, woman, get the heck outta there, NOW!" But this is because she's written this book with the excitement of a secret, personal daily diary you've stumbled unto, know you really shouldn't read but couldn't put down if you tried. The second thing I like most about TRIUMPH & HOPE though is the fact that it has literally everything: history, geography, politics, medical knowledge, religion, humor as well as tragedy and honest-to-God stories about the real people she lives with and tries to help that sound as dramatic as any fiction, plus a lot of interesting Spanish slang. Joe spent her early years in Colombia where her father worked for the Organization of American States, so she's fluent in the language.... You'll see here a 62-year-old woman (now 71)who has lived a rich life of service as a human rights advocate, a writer and editor, a wife and mother with a rainbow brood of adopted children, who after the death of her own son, as well as the death of a beloved foster son from Cuba, decides to put all her energy to good use doing what she always longed to do, practice all her skills and knowledge as an occupational therapist and a Peace Corps Volunteer. She stays three and a half years, and she's returning to Honduras in February 2010 with a medical brigade. Reading this book is a true adventure, an excellent read from a very talented writer. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Triumph & Hope May 22, 2009

By Bob Arias

Format:Paperback

As a former Volunteer in Colombia 1964-66 and Country Director in Argentina and Uruguay 1993-95,I find Barbara Joe's book a gift for all past and future Volunteers and Staff! The new Peace Corps Director when appointed should be given a copy to read and keep with her or him! Especially if they have never been a Peace Corps Volunteer! From my experience, Barbara Joe's beautiful story of her three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras is not about her age, but the commitment she has always had...to reach out to others. She goes to Honduras at age 62 knowing that her friends back in the U.S. think she will be home by Christmas...but her children believe in her. I am extremely impressed with her use of the black and white photos throughout her book, you feel that you are right there with her and her host country family. Some Volunteers and Staff spend their tour counting the days until they get to go home, while others really get involved in their communities, and like Barbara these are the Volunteers who adopt or are adopted by their new country, to become their "patria chica" or adopted homeland. Volunteers will often refer to their country of service as their new adopted homeland, and find something in themselves that they did not know existed...the special feeling that causes them to love and respect their new community. As Barbara says, "I now feel part Honduran!"
Having trained Peace Corps personnel, I feel Barbara Joe's book is a "how to" for future Volunteers and Staff, this must be made mandatory reading...pay attention Peace Corps, and not a bad way for family and friends to learn what it means to be with the Peace Corps. If you are even thinking about the experience that will change your life, check out Triumph and Hope by Barbara Joe......I couldn't put it down once I opened to the first page.
Bob Arias
Salem, Oregon Read more ›