The Farm on the River of Emeralds By Moritz Thomsen Reviewed by Mark D. Walker While perusing my favorite books above my desk I realized that I’d never reviewed a book of my favorite Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Moritz Thomsen. Although he is best known for probably the most read Returned Peace Corps Volunteer book, Living Poor, published in 1969, it is correctly rated as one of the best Returned Peace Corps Volunteer memoirs of all time. my favorite is The Farm on the River of Emeralds, is the sequel and tells a tale of endless reverses as a part […]
Continue readingBook Review – Travel: Enchantment and Exploitation: The Life and Hard Times of a New Mexico Mountain Range
Enchantment and Exploitation: The Life and Hard Times of a New Mexico Mountain Range By William deBuys Reviewed by Mark D. Walker For years, I’ve taken my children from Santa Fe to Taos on the “high road” (highway 76), stopping off at the “Rancho de Chimayo” for traditional New Mexican food, including those light “sopapillas” the kids would fill with honey, and from there we’d visit the Santuario de Chimayo, one of New Mexico’s most beautiful adobe chapels It is said to be built on a site where the earth itself has the power to heal ailments and infirmities of […]
Continue readingBook Review – Fiction: Drop Dead
BOOK REVIEW DROP DEAD by Dick Lipez writing as Richard Stevenson (Ethiopia) Nov 25 2016 KickAssQueer is a gay Web site thousands go to for news, gossip, and as a forum to exchange often heated opinions about GLBT life in America. When one of KAQ’s editors is savagely murdered, it’s PI Don Strachey’s job to uncover whether one of the site’s many harsh critics, gay or straight, is responsible for this young man’s death—and possibly for other brutal assaults on gay men in and around New York City. What Strachey is soon forced to confront is a side of the […]
Continue readingBook Review – Non-fiction: Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class is leaving everyone else in the dust, why that is a problem, and what to do about it
Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class is leaving everyone else in the dust, why that is a problem, and what to do about it By Richard V. Reeves Reviewed by Mark D. Walker This is the perfect companion book to J.D. Vance’s, Hillbilly Elegy: “A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis,” which I reviewed almost a year ago, as both authors provide examples and quantifiable, sociological analyses on how extensive the gap between the wealthy and poor continues to grow here in the U.S. Although it is well known that the top 1 percent are concentrating their […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? WHY WRITING WELL MATTERS
BOOK REVIEW OF “DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? WHY WRITING WELL MATTERS” By Harold Evans Reviewed by Mark D. Walker June 12, 2017 After writing my first book I felt it was time to return to the “classroom” and sit by the side of one of the best editors and authors of our time and continue working on my art. I was not disappointed. The insights on good writing permeated the entire book, and as an added benefit the book was filled with insightful commentary on our times presented with both cutting humor and satire, and the graceful charm the […]
Continue readingBook Review – Non-fiction: De Grazia: The Man and the Myths
De Grazia: The Man and the Myths By James W. Johnson with Marilyn D. Johnson Reviewed by Mark D. Walker Over the years I’ve brought family and friends to the “DeGrazia Gallery” in the Sun Historic District in Tucson, Arizona. You knew you were in the Southwest with adobe buildings in a desert setting, including a chapel in honor of Father Kino, and an artist’s residence. We’d enter the massive gates at the entrance, which were replicas of the Yuma Territorial Prison, to view the multiple collections that included oils, watercolors, sketches, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry. And yet I never […]
Continue readingBook Review – Fiction: Dead Cow Road
BOOK REVIEW OF “DEAD COW ROAD” By Mark D. Walker by Mark Wentling (Peace Corps Honduras 1967–69, Togo 1970–73; PC Staff: Togo, Gabon, Niger 1973–77) Page Publishing March 2017 506 pages $24.93 (paperback), $9.99 (Kindle) I’ve been looking forward to the author’s next book after thoroughly enjoying “Africa’s Embrace”, which is part of his African Trilogy. I resonated with the author’s story as we are both Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and pursued careers promoting overseas development. The author’s work and travels over a span of 46 years have taken him to 54 African countries. The author also worked with USAID, the […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work By Mason Currey Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I learned about this book from a speaker at the Phoenix Writers Network and began reading some of the 161 short profiles from famous authors and artists each evening, which I found inspirational as well as an opportunity to rethink my approach to writing and how to be both creative and effective. I’ve often wondered how other authors and artists do meaningful creative work and earn a living, which many of these profiles deal with. According to the publishers, this book brings together “Writers, composers, painters, choreographers, […]
Continue readingNewsletter: February 2019
I’m pleased to announce that my Guatemalan filmmaker friend, Luis Argueta, was selected to receive the Harris Wofford Global Citizens award! Luis was the focus of my recently published article in Revue Magazine, http://www.revuemag.com/…/luis-argueta-telling-the-stories…/ and together with fellow RPCV, Ken Lehman, we submitted letters in support of Luis’s nomination. I plan to attend the Peace Corps Connect Conference at the University of Texas in Austin this June 22nd-23d, where the prestigious award will be presented! https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/announcing-the-2019-harris-wofford-global-citizen-award-winner-luis-argueta-of-guatemala?fbclid=IwAR3GZiCdIgihLpEX5zh-uK783H_8Ae27s8NhEBmg2YqJi4JpHBBzTy-z7PU. Read the newsletter . . .
Continue readingBook Review – Non-fiction: Connectography: Mapping the Global Network Revolution
Book Review of “Connectography: Mapping the Global Network Revolution” by Parag Khanna Reviewer, Mark D. Walker “Connectography” helped me understand, “which lines on the map matter most” in this complicated and ever changing world we live in today. The author explains why the borders we’re used to focusing on have become irrelevant in understanding the new directions foreign trade and foreign affairs are taking. Khanna guides us through emerging global networks in which mega-cities compete for the market share. A series of innovative maps depict these new trends of connectivity. Maps which go beyond the normal nation-state divisions, but include […]
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