Million Mile Walker

Join me on an epic journey through the fascinating, yet often misunderstood Central American neighbor. I've studied and written about Guatemala for fifty years, and in this book, I've focused on some of the extraordinary people of Guatemala and their amazing stories. Given the crisis of democracy in Guatemala and the continued turmoil on our border, this is the time to understand the human realities better and take action to secure a more promising future. Guatemala draws up to 1.8 million tourists per year, whose visits start in the largest city in Central America with brief visits to ancient Mayan ruins and contemporary Maya villages, which provide a partial folkloric understanding of Guatemalan society.Over the years, I've traveled to places most Guatemalans have never seen. I use encounters with ordinary Guatemalans, profiles, and stories from local Mayan leaders, advocates, writers, and poets to bring a new appreciation and understanding of this country.

Maps, graphs, fact sheets, and photos support 19 stories to provide insights into the inner workings of Guatemalan society. I start with stories seen through literary and biographical prisms.

In his latest book, Mark Walker reflects on his fifty years of travel miscalculations and disasters and how and why he travels changed over the years, as has who he traveled with. As a young Peace Corps Volunteer with no overseas travel experience, the world was his oyster, and he figured he could go anywhere if he set his mind to it—with little or no money. Then he married a Guatemalan lady and had to think more about “our” needs; then, three children meant additional requirements and responsibilities. And later, as a professional fundraiser, he would set up donor visits to program areas where the organizations he represented needed funds, which meant considering the needs of up to fifteen individuals of all ages, including children and some donors in their 70s and 80s. He’s become a savvier trekker, although he was still prone to the occasional snafu. This book is part of the “Yin & Yang of Travel” series of ten essays” It’s an invaluable portal into the world of timeless travel and what can go wrong.

"Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond" is more than just another travel memoir. It is an engaged and engaging story of one man's physical and spiritual journey of self-discovery through Latin American, African, European, and Asian topography, cuisine, politics, and history. Informative, compelling, impressively candid, "Different Latitudes" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and Peace Corp History supplemental studies lists in particular."

Midwest Book Review

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