Mango Elephants in the Sun: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin

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.

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.

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.

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.