Travel to Coastal West Africa

The Village of Waiting

Format: Paperback
Author: George Packer
ReleaseDate: 01 August, 2001
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating:

Must read for World Savers
I was very realistic about the comic grind that is day-to-day life in Africa and the maze of paperwork, mind-numbing waiting for mundane administrative tasks to be accomplished and pervasive acceptance of inefficiency. I spent 6 months in Africa while in college and was seriously considering joining the Peace Corps when I came across Packer's book. However, Packer's book really brought home to me the toll of isolation takes on your ability to cope with these realities. Early on, Packer states that Peace Corps volunteers fall into 2 categories, the world savers and the folks that just to try to help in a small way and enjoy the experience. Packer recognizes he falls into the second category and even the detachment humor and a bit of cynicism can not protect him from the inequities and pain of life in pre-AIDS ridden Africa. I thought the book was honest and is on my list of 'must reads' for those thinking about committing full time to any volunteer group.

A book of little inherent value.
It is not well written, for one. I have to disagree with every review written about this book thusfar. The style is amateurish, and it has little substance.
But that's not what really bothers me about this book. What really bothers me is that he writes about soliciting a prostitute that he describes as having a "twelve-year-old's body. " Another thing that bothered me was that George Packer dropped out of the Peace Corps without even telling his so-called friends in the village that he was leaving. He wasted the opportunity that was given to him, wrote a mediocre book about it, and yet reviewers come on Amazon. com and laud it.
Want some free advice? Read any other book about Africa, Togo, or the Peace Corps instead. This one is not very good.

Profound in its Simplicity
He writes with raw emotion and sincerity, without a tad of pretense. George Packer's ability to describe the lives of many who live in Togo make this piece of text a must-read for all, even for those who do not have an interest in serving in the Peace Corps. I'd say that Packer's foremost accomplishment in this text is that he makes no attempt to tell a story about how a superior white individual intervenes in a remote village and rids the residents of poverty and illiteracy. Rather, The Village of Waiting is a sincere account of his realization that sadly, some things just cannot be altered. I think Packer knew this from the outset, but it is interesting to read about he endures this realization during his 2-year service in Togo.

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