Received from the librarything Early Reviewers program. TBR.

Reserved for a swap.

An honest and intimate account of a inter-cultural friendship.

Sending to VeganMedusa for the bookobsessed September Raiding swap. Enjoy!

Thanks!

Note to future readers: Personally I would recommend not reading the last paragraph of the introduction. It kind of spoiled the book a little for me.

But a lovely story, if bittersweet. I'll always remember the plane conversation, plus some of the less funny conversations. I'll have to look on the website and see what's happening these days in the village.

Posted today to HoserLauren as a surprise.

Wow! What a surprise! I've been looking for this book for a while and have had no luck finding it. Plus, it always gets stolen out of swaps before I can get to it. Thanks so much Vegan!! :)

Kris Holloway travelled to Mali after she graduated college and became a Peace Corps volunteer. She was placed in a small village called Nampossela and her host was Monique Dembele, the midwife for the village. Holloway becomes quickly immersed in the culture and is given her own African name: Fatumata. A home is built for Holloway out of mud with a corrugated metal roof and she spends each day with Monique, learning the ins and outs of midwifery and the health clinic that Monique runs. These two bond quickly and a strong friendship is forged that last their lifetimes, even when Holloway is back in America.

It was interesting to read about the differences in culture and how a clinic for babies operates. They weigh babies and place each baby's weight in a chart the shows green for healthy, yellow for underweight, and red for severely underweight/malnourished. However the story that draws you in is how Holloway and Monique came to be such good friends. You can't help but smile when Monique explains how she thought people travelled via airplane. This was an uplifting story and a great read.

This book is with me!

Kris Holloway becomes a Peace Corps Volunteer in a small town in Mali. She is hosted by Monique Dembele who runs a health clinic and well baby clinic. Monique is the mid-wife in a place where childbirth is anything but simple. Monique weighs babies and then dispenses information on how to keep those babies well nourished and healthy. Poverty and hard work are the mainstay of this village.

Kris is built a house by the people of the village, a mud hut with an iron corrugated roof. She is immersed in the culture of the area and becomes life-long friends with the irrepressible Monique.

It was interesting to discover about the culture of West Africa and read about the life and work of a Peace Corps volunteer.

Mailed today to my birthday partner.

Yay I am glad to get this because I remember seeing it in several swaps and it always slipping out of my hand like a peeled mango.

Thank you so much for the lovely birthday gifts, it makes my day very lovely indeed. And now I will go eat a mango to celebrate my birthday.

Adding this to the yummy vbb as we are having a mango feast there.

Well, thankfully I didn't read the introduction, so I didn't know what was coming.
Really enjoyed reading of the author's experience in Mali. I can't personally imagine myself doing it - maybe I'm too old and too used to creature comforts. I've read a few books written by Peace Corp volunteers and this author looks like she is really part of the village.

This book will travel to Ri next, a selection from the yummy bookbox. I had a bit of car problem so ended up with more reading time than normal and was able to finish this sooner than I expected. : )

This seems like my kind of book and how awesome that it has been in the hands of so many of my favorite BCers! Vegan, you are the only one on this list I haven't (yet) met in person! I love the small world of Bookcrossing!