Published December 2020
★★★
In the late 90s, Engkilterra set off for Guinea to spend a couple of years in the Peace Corps. This ensuing book is made up primarily of letters sent home during that period. It's engaging, if scattered; much like diaries, letters can be hit or miss to turn into books because the writer doesn't know at the time of writing what is going to end up being a through-thread and what is going to just drop off. I picked this up because I'm always curious about Peace Corps experiences—one of those "in another life" things. I find that the Peace Corps memoirs I like best are the ones where it's clear to the author early on that the most important part of the job is going to be about building connections rather than about effecting (or trying to effect) lasting change; this doesn't entirely get there, but the focus on day-to-day life and the sense of humor (including an ability to laugh at oneself) kept me reading.
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