What You Can Do for Your Country

When I was in high school and college, I wanted nothing more than to travel, see the world, and do some good while I was at it -- and the Peace Corps was easily my first choice. Although I never did actually go through with it, I definitely could've used this book while I was making my decision. The book is basically a collection of personal accounts of former corpsmen (and women) interdispersed with historical clips of the corps since its inception to the book's writing, and provides a much-needed shot of reality to anyone convinced that a life in the Peace Corps matches the experience of Tom Hank's character in that eighties movie _Volunteers_. Not all members lived in huts and taught English to eager, poverty-stricken natives... in fact, some found that they were being used as a diplomatic tool rather than actual help. The descriptions portray the birth of cynicism in a group of often idealistic volunteers who became very disillusioned with a life of doing good in the name of a government that placed them in positions without adequate resources to actually make a difference.