Average user rating:  |
 A True Portrayal of Peace Corps Life |
| Before going to Peace Corps, I read every Peace Corps related book I could find. Although this book is the oldest of all that I read, it gave me the clearest, most realistic picture of Peace Corps life. Beyond that, it was a story that touched me deeply. Too many Peace Corps stories drown in sentimentalism or self-admiration or cutesy life lessons learned. Living Poor avoids these traps and is a great story, whether or not you are contemplating Peace Corps. |
| Best description of the Peace Corps experiece I have read. |
| In 1988, my wife and I decided to join the Peace Corps. We were both in our early 40s at the time. When we found we were being sent to Ecuador we madly scoured the library trying to find something about the Peace Corps in Ecuador. We we lucky enough to find Moritz Thomsen's book, "Living Poor." As we devoured the book we both laughed and cried, looked at each other and wondered what we were getting ourselves into. Although every Peace Corps volunteer's experience is different (and our's was totally different from the authors) after our two years in Ecuador this book still rings true This book is brutally honost. Moritz makes no effort to glorify himself or what he accomplished or the Peace Corps. This is part of the charm of the book. We regret that we never met the author but we will always treasure his books. |
 His other one is good too... |
| I'm in the process of getting my hands on Living Poor, but also highly recommend Thomsen's book "The Farm on the River of Emeralds." Where 'Living Poor' sounds like it has more of an ex-pat spin on it, "The Farm" focuses more on his on personal experiences, observations, and self-questioning in running a farm with his Ecuadorian business partner, Ramon. Very interesting. |
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