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The Village of Waiting
Now restored to print with a new Foreword by Philip Gourevitch and an Afterword by the author, The Village of Waiting is a frank, moving, and vivid account of contemporary life in West Africa. Stationed as a Peace Corps instructor in the village of Lavié (the name means "wait a little more") in tiny and underdeveloped Togo, George Packer reveals his own schooling at the hands of an unforgettable array of townspeople--peasants, chiefs, charlatans, children, market women, cripples, crazies, and those who, having lost or given up much of their traditional identity and fastened their hopes on "development," find themselves trapped between the familiar repetitions of rural life and the chafing monotony of waiting for change.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
December 28, 2019
Our young idealistic George Packer joins the Peace Corps and goes off to be an English teacher in a village in Togo, one of the African countries that line the west coast to the north of Nigeria. Togo is the 8th smallest country in Africa. 80 miles across and 400 miles long – a little smaller than West Virginia. So we expect a lot of entertaining culture clashes, and we get them.
Difficulties surfaced fairly quickly. There was the problem of names. The Togolese teachers called the students by their last names, but after a week of stumbling over the Agbodjavous, Amegawovors and Kpetsus who proliferated in my classes, I broke custom and went to first names. But here was the rub: among the Ewe your first name is determined by the day of the week you’re born on. For example, a boy born on Wednesday is Kokou, a girl Aku; a boy born on Saturday is Kwame, a girl Ama. So the pool of first names is severely limited and in every class there were bound to be at least three or four of each name. In one class eight Koffis all sat in the same row.
George spends 18 months in rural Togo (in the 1980s that was a tautology, it was all rural). Then he takes a break and holidays in Barcelona and then back to New York. And then, in a most curious way, after 316 pages of detailed thoughtful month-by-month musings and anecdotes and adventures and encounters, that’s where the first edition ended.
Readers were outraged – what the hell happened next? A cliffhanger in a non-fiction book? Did George go back to Togo? Was the coup against Life President Gnassingbe Eyadema successful ? What happened to the village folks that we by now know so well? Don’t leave us this way!
So in the 2nd edition George added a 30 page Afterword, which answers everything. Spoiler alert – no, he did not go back, he just couldn’t. And no, President Eyadema lasted from 1967 all the way to 2005, when he died and was replaced by his son, who is still there.
Difficulties surfaced fairly quickly. There was the problem of names. The Togolese teachers called the students by their last names, but after a week of stumbling over the Agbodjavous, Amegawovors and Kpetsus who proliferated in my classes, I broke custom and went to first names. But here was the rub: among the Ewe your first name is determined by the day of the week you’re born on. For example, a boy born on Wednesday is Kokou, a girl Aku; a boy born on Saturday is Kwame, a girl Ama. So the pool of first names is severely limited and in every class there were bound to be at least three or four of each name. In one class eight Koffis all sat in the same row.
George spends 18 months in rural Togo (in the 1980s that was a tautology, it was all rural). Then he takes a break and holidays in Barcelona and then back to New York. And then, in a most curious way, after 316 pages of detailed thoughtful month-by-month musings and anecdotes and adventures and encounters, that’s where the first edition ended.
Readers were outraged – what the hell happened next? A cliffhanger in a non-fiction book? Did George go back to Togo? Was the coup against Life President Gnassingbe Eyadema successful ? What happened to the village folks that we by now know so well? Don’t leave us this way!
So in the 2nd edition George added a 30 page Afterword, which answers everything. Spoiler alert – no, he did not go back, he just couldn’t. And no, President Eyadema lasted from 1967 all the way to 2005, when he died and was replaced by his son, who is still there.
January 18, 2016
3.5 stars
I’ve read enough Peace Corps memoirs now to recommend different books in this sub-subgenre for different needs. This is the book to read if you’re looking for a critique of post-colonial African governments. It’s not the first book I would choose for insights into third-world poverty – that would be The Ponds of Kalambayi. And it’s definitely not the book to make you feel good about the possibility of intercultural understanding – that would be Monique and the Mango Rains. In fact, this book, by a volunteer who left his post six months early, has the most negative outlook on the Peace Corps experience that I’ve seen so far. Which is understandable: it must be hard to feel you’re making an impact on an impoverished African village when your service consists of teaching English in a poorly-run government school, where students are taught to memorize rather than to think and even graduates find few employment opportunities.
That said, Packer’s account of his year and a half in Togo is certainly interesting, and he’s able to relay his observations in a thoughtful way. He seems honest, even about his delusions, and clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the issues he encountered. The settings are vividly depicted. The writing is good, though not as clear or compelling as Tidwell’s in The Ponds of Kalambayi. And the stories of the people Packer meets are interesting, though he maintains a distance between himself that results in a less complete picture than Holloway provides in Monique and the Mango Rains. This book does provide a look at government policy and a critique of relations between Africa and the West that goes beyond anything you’ll see in those two books, however.
Overall, I found this book interesting and informative, though a rather slow read. I recommend finding a copy of the 2001 edition rather than the 1988, as Packer’s afterward – while depressing on the topic of his host family’s future – makes some sense of the otherwise very abrupt ending.
I’ve read enough Peace Corps memoirs now to recommend different books in this sub-subgenre for different needs. This is the book to read if you’re looking for a critique of post-colonial African governments. It’s not the first book I would choose for insights into third-world poverty – that would be The Ponds of Kalambayi. And it’s definitely not the book to make you feel good about the possibility of intercultural understanding – that would be Monique and the Mango Rains. In fact, this book, by a volunteer who left his post six months early, has the most negative outlook on the Peace Corps experience that I’ve seen so far. Which is understandable: it must be hard to feel you’re making an impact on an impoverished African village when your service consists of teaching English in a poorly-run government school, where students are taught to memorize rather than to think and even graduates find few employment opportunities.
That said, Packer’s account of his year and a half in Togo is certainly interesting, and he’s able to relay his observations in a thoughtful way. He seems honest, even about his delusions, and clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the issues he encountered. The settings are vividly depicted. The writing is good, though not as clear or compelling as Tidwell’s in The Ponds of Kalambayi. And the stories of the people Packer meets are interesting, though he maintains a distance between himself that results in a less complete picture than Holloway provides in Monique and the Mango Rains. This book does provide a look at government policy and a critique of relations between Africa and the West that goes beyond anything you’ll see in those two books, however.
Overall, I found this book interesting and informative, though a rather slow read. I recommend finding a copy of the 2001 edition rather than the 1988, as Packer’s afterward – while depressing on the topic of his host family’s future – makes some sense of the otherwise very abrupt ending.
February 11, 2021
I've been trying really hard to read further in this book. I might ultimately still try, but I get too bothered by the Eurocentricism and white privilege almost intrinsic to Packer's style. What could have been an opportunity for a foreigner to teach people of his nation about the people of Togo becomes a space for another entitled Peace Corps narrative. Packer spends most of his time being in annoyance of the people he has to teach English to. He largely paints them as backwards and uneducated rather than trying to truly put himself in their circumstances. Admittedly, some of the personalities of the teachers and individuals he paints do occasionally shine through despite the clutter of judgment. And it does get better as Packer stops reacting to himself and truly tries to base his narratives off of the experiences of others, but a part of me has also given up...
August 9, 2012
A must-read for anyone who has spent extensive time in West Africa! Definitely one of my favorite books on West Africa!
January 18, 2016
The Village of Waiting is George Packer's Memoir of his Peace Corps stint in Togo from 1982 - 1984, though he didn't complete the two year commitment, in fact he went on vacation and didn't go back. Having said that, this book is worth reading, and I think it is well written.
Packer taught English in the village (Lavie) school, and lived among the villagers. I think Packer had trouble understand the Africans, although I think he tried. I also think that he thought his time in Togo was a waste, and that is why he didn't go back. He was not able to reconcile the poverty he saw, or the wasted lives of Africans who tried to succeed in Togo (those that were educated), and failed to achieve jobs.
I think the best book on the Peace Corps experience is Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village by Sarah Erdman. She describes the people in Nambonkaha (Ivory Coast) wonderfully, and she did make a difference in the villager's lives.
Packer taught English in the village (Lavie) school, and lived among the villagers. I think Packer had trouble understand the Africans, although I think he tried. I also think that he thought his time in Togo was a waste, and that is why he didn't go back. He was not able to reconcile the poverty he saw, or the wasted lives of Africans who tried to succeed in Togo (those that were educated), and failed to achieve jobs.
I think the best book on the Peace Corps experience is Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village by Sarah Erdman. She describes the people in Nambonkaha (Ivory Coast) wonderfully, and she did make a difference in the villager's lives.
April 19, 2013
This was an incredible Peace Corps memoir from a volunteer's time spent in the small town of Lavié in Southern Togo in the early 1980's. I read it in advance of visiting a friend working for the Peace Corps in a village very close to there. I couldn't think of a better way to prepare myself for this experience. Packer was honest, eloquent, full of anecdotes, and not preachy. I walked away with a broad sense of the happiness amidst poverty, the daily struggle to live, and even the latent oppression of the Eyadema dictatorship on the Togolese... but I also walked away with the sounds of the African bush at night, the flicker of kerosene, the magical feeling of a funeral dance or voodoo ritual, the dust in your teeth, the acrid smell of cooking oil. He was good at relating ideas and details in a way that made the reader both understand and feel. Unlike most memoirs I've read, I couldn't wait to read each successive section. I'm eager to see how rural Togo village life for my friend compares, now three decades later.
That being said, I hated the ending. Perhaps it's something I may never understand because I will have never been in the Peace Corps, but the complete lack of an explanation for abandoning his post early (after a hedonistic European vacation) without even returning to his village to say goodbye to his villagers with whom he'd become confidant, teacher, listener, friend, was appalling to me, especially after the thoughtfulness he'd displayed throughout the previous thirteen chapters. George - WHAT HAPPENED??
That being said, I hated the ending. Perhaps it's something I may never understand because I will have never been in the Peace Corps, but the complete lack of an explanation for abandoning his post early (after a hedonistic European vacation) without even returning to his village to say goodbye to his villagers with whom he'd become confidant, teacher, listener, friend, was appalling to me, especially after the thoughtfulness he'd displayed throughout the previous thirteen chapters. George - WHAT HAPPENED??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2020
I've got to say, prior to going to Togo myself I would have rated this book only a 1 or a 2. Having spent time there myself, and having run up against a lot of the same barriers Packer did 20+ years earlier, I have more of an appreciation for his experiences. However, I still think he comes across poorly.
May 27, 2018
I love traveling and travel writing, and I've read a number of books in this genre.
I thought about joining the Peace Corps during my college years in the 1980s, but I never did. This book and _The Ponds of Kalambayi_ by Mike Tidwell (see my review here) gave me a good sense of what a stint in the Peace Corps could have been like for me, which was exactly what I had hoped to get out of the books.
Packer’s job in Togo was teaching English to children. He lived in a small village 80 km away from the capital city, Lomé. Due to a bureaucratic snafu, he spent his first several weeks in limbo in the capital city while awaiting his assignment. His description of a bland metropolis with strict delineations between the neighborhoods of the well to do and foreign diplomats and the rest of the city reminded me of a number of Third World cities I have visited.
After he finally gets his assignment, he undergoes several weeks’ training before actually taking up residence in the village where he will spend the next two years teaching in the local school. He paints an interesting picture of the village and the characters living in it as well as of the school and of his colleagues and students. Over the course of the narrative, he recounts detailed stories about a number of the individuals he encounters through his work or in other facets of his life.
One chapter focuses on politics in Togo and the great lengths people go to to avoid talking about it. This makes perfect sense when you consider that there is nothing to be gained by it and, potentially, any number of things to be lost whether it be your job or even your liberty. You’re never sure who might report you, so you simply never bring the subject up. Meanwhile, you participate in inane celebrations touting “authenticity” and “animation” (pronounced in the French way) because there’s really no safe way to opt out. It’s a relatively benign regime compared to those in some of the neighboring countries, but you don’t want to be one of the few who are singled out for prison to scare everyone else into submission.
On a more positive note, there are sections here and there which recount traditional medicine and traditional religion among the Ewé tribe, and these are fascinating.
A couple of other chapters recount journeys the author took to neighboring countries in Africa and, at one point, to Egypt and Tanzania. A mix of both frustration and new discoveries, these stories of his travels to places like Lagos and Ouagadougou involved much with which I could identify from similar travels of my own in places like India, Thailand and Oman.
This story takes place in the early 1980s, so you could be forgiven for thinking it's out of date today. And, in some specific domains, it may be. However, when you consider that the country is still being run by the son of the guy who was running it back in those days, it's easy to imagine that much remains the same.
Speaking of things never changing, it's frustrating to consider how rampant corruption is in many former European colonies and how little the former colonial masters seem willing to do to exercise their influence in positive ways so as to eradicate this corruption. In the case of Togo, France still wields considerable economic power and could presumably hold the ruling family’s feet to the fire to promote democracy and other reforms. But maybe it's more complicated than I realize, and perhaps France does do what it can to encourage improvements. I really don't know.
I thought about joining the Peace Corps during my college years in the 1980s, but I never did. This book and _The Ponds of Kalambayi_ by Mike Tidwell (see my review here) gave me a good sense of what a stint in the Peace Corps could have been like for me, which was exactly what I had hoped to get out of the books.
Packer’s job in Togo was teaching English to children. He lived in a small village 80 km away from the capital city, Lomé. Due to a bureaucratic snafu, he spent his first several weeks in limbo in the capital city while awaiting his assignment. His description of a bland metropolis with strict delineations between the neighborhoods of the well to do and foreign diplomats and the rest of the city reminded me of a number of Third World cities I have visited.
After he finally gets his assignment, he undergoes several weeks’ training before actually taking up residence in the village where he will spend the next two years teaching in the local school. He paints an interesting picture of the village and the characters living in it as well as of the school and of his colleagues and students. Over the course of the narrative, he recounts detailed stories about a number of the individuals he encounters through his work or in other facets of his life.
One chapter focuses on politics in Togo and the great lengths people go to to avoid talking about it. This makes perfect sense when you consider that there is nothing to be gained by it and, potentially, any number of things to be lost whether it be your job or even your liberty. You’re never sure who might report you, so you simply never bring the subject up. Meanwhile, you participate in inane celebrations touting “authenticity” and “animation” (pronounced in the French way) because there’s really no safe way to opt out. It’s a relatively benign regime compared to those in some of the neighboring countries, but you don’t want to be one of the few who are singled out for prison to scare everyone else into submission.
On a more positive note, there are sections here and there which recount traditional medicine and traditional religion among the Ewé tribe, and these are fascinating.
A couple of other chapters recount journeys the author took to neighboring countries in Africa and, at one point, to Egypt and Tanzania. A mix of both frustration and new discoveries, these stories of his travels to places like Lagos and Ouagadougou involved much with which I could identify from similar travels of my own in places like India, Thailand and Oman.
This story takes place in the early 1980s, so you could be forgiven for thinking it's out of date today. And, in some specific domains, it may be. However, when you consider that the country is still being run by the son of the guy who was running it back in those days, it's easy to imagine that much remains the same.
Speaking of things never changing, it's frustrating to consider how rampant corruption is in many former European colonies and how little the former colonial masters seem willing to do to exercise their influence in positive ways so as to eradicate this corruption. In the case of Togo, France still wields considerable economic power and could presumably hold the ruling family’s feet to the fire to promote democracy and other reforms. But maybe it's more complicated than I realize, and perhaps France does do what it can to encourage improvements. I really don't know.
August 6, 2025
In The Village of Waiting, journalist and author George Packer recounts his experience as a young Peace Corps volunteer living in the West African country of Togo during the early 1980s. Written with reflective honesty and quiet humility, this memoir isn't just about Packer's time abroad, it's also a thoughtful meditation on culture, privilege, and the limits of idealism.
Packer's prose is clear and understated, never sensationalizing or romanticizing his surroundings. His observations about village life, the people he meets, and the slow rhythms of daily existence in Togo are richly textured. What sets the book apart is his willingness to critique not just the political system he finds himself in, but also his assumptions, biases, and frustrations.
This is not an adventure tale or a triumphant Peace Corps story. Rather, it's introspective and, at times, melancholy, offering insight into what it means to try (and sometimes fail) to make a difference in a place shaped by its own deep history and struggles. It's a slow, contemplative read but very informative.
You might appreciate this memoir if you enjoy cultural immersion, honest and self-critical memoirs, and a good balance of personal narrative and political observation.
Packer's prose is clear and understated, never sensationalizing or romanticizing his surroundings. His observations about village life, the people he meets, and the slow rhythms of daily existence in Togo are richly textured. What sets the book apart is his willingness to critique not just the political system he finds himself in, but also his assumptions, biases, and frustrations.
This is not an adventure tale or a triumphant Peace Corps story. Rather, it's introspective and, at times, melancholy, offering insight into what it means to try (and sometimes fail) to make a difference in a place shaped by its own deep history and struggles. It's a slow, contemplative read but very informative.
You might appreciate this memoir if you enjoy cultural immersion, honest and self-critical memoirs, and a good balance of personal narrative and political observation.
December 2, 2019
The author paints a very dismal portrait of an incredibly poor, drought-stricken country. I wonder how much has changed in Togo since the author served in the Peace Corps there in 1982-83. I hope things have gotten better.
June 17, 2020
heartbreaking, and sparked really poignant memories of my time in the peace corps
October 18, 2020
Beautifully written, powerful depiction of the struggle of peace corps and development work in general.
June 19, 2015
This book sat on my to-read list for almost a decade before I finally prioritized it on my library hold list, and committed to reading it. Packer is a great writer who made me *think* all the way through the book. I have repeatedly described this book as "thoughtful". At times, that made for some dense prose; not a quick read, for sure. But it was reflective, history-minded, and thoughtful without being didactic. He doesn't wash his Peace Corps experience in sepia tones, or give in to easy characterizations of himself or the other people he meets. He tries to show the tightrope walk of development work, of colonization history and its repercussions, of economic colonialism, or misguided altruism, fatalism, and self-centered youth. Best of all, he shows a realistic picture of himself that is neither self-mocking nor self-aggrandizing.
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in East Africa, removed from Packer's experience by 15 years and more than 2000 miles. Though the colonial and atrocity history in "my" country was very different, it amazed me how much of his experience translated to what I experienced. He put to words things I had wondered about, noticed in my periphery, and he posed the kinds of questions that did not ever quite materialize for me.
Though there are other light, fun and funny, meaningful Peace Corps memoirs out there, this was the best balanced and reflective look at the tricky nature of volunteer "development" work. It is well worth the read.
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in East Africa, removed from Packer's experience by 15 years and more than 2000 miles. Though the colonial and atrocity history in "my" country was very different, it amazed me how much of his experience translated to what I experienced. He put to words things I had wondered about, noticed in my periphery, and he posed the kinds of questions that did not ever quite materialize for me.
Though there are other light, fun and funny, meaningful Peace Corps memoirs out there, this was the best balanced and reflective look at the tricky nature of volunteer "development" work. It is well worth the read.
April 3, 2013
A few quotes stood out to me:
"I began to grasp something essential about school here. The [school], with its imported, sterile remnants of colonial education, its anger and humiliations, its bureaucracy and its whips, was a place where everyone was bound to fail, where failure was built in. Africans dressed up as dumb blacks imitating whites were made to see their own inadequacy. It has served the old need of the European colonized to feel his superiority and importance it served the need of the independent regime to preside over what it called "development" without losing power. Even under a black government, contempt for the black man hadn't been forgotten." (pg 75)
"The next day brings a rapid and yet interminable train ride (in Africa, such a ride would take twenty-four hours and produce countless anecdotes, but this one takes six and produces none)..." (pg 311).
"I missed the intensity, the surprise, the sense that life was real and hard and lovely. Nothing in America made me feel as alive as I'd felt in Africa." (pg 317).
"I began to grasp something essential about school here. The [school], with its imported, sterile remnants of colonial education, its anger and humiliations, its bureaucracy and its whips, was a place where everyone was bound to fail, where failure was built in. Africans dressed up as dumb blacks imitating whites were made to see their own inadequacy. It has served the old need of the European colonized to feel his superiority and importance it served the need of the independent regime to preside over what it called "development" without losing power. Even under a black government, contempt for the black man hadn't been forgotten." (pg 75)
"The next day brings a rapid and yet interminable train ride (in Africa, such a ride would take twenty-four hours and produce countless anecdotes, but this one takes six and produces none)..." (pg 311).
"I missed the intensity, the surprise, the sense that life was real and hard and lovely. Nothing in America made me feel as alive as I'd felt in Africa." (pg 317).
November 30, 2012
Packer's a gifted writer, and this book was of special interest to me since he must be about the same age as me and (unlike me) joined Peace Corps right after college. The era is different, and so is the place (West Africa -- Togo, vs. my Horn of Africa). Expecting the many differences, I was struck by the similarities. I got a bit bogged down in the middle of the book, as the viscosity of his description sometimes seemed to interfere with the narrative. The author started to come off as a little too unflappable, and something seemed amiss. My suspicions were confirmed and clarified in the afterword, and it's only a minor flaw in a great book that's full of interesting historical, political and cultural analysis framed by a portrait of village life. I still wonder how much more fascinating a book might have emerged had he opened up more of his inner life to the reader, but that's a sacrifice that one can't expect every writer to make.
September 18, 2020
I've read many Peace Corps memoir books but this remains my favorite; it's the only one I've re-read. Packer's account of being a volunteer in Togo was pretty similar to my experiences as one 1000 miles away 15 years later.
But it remains my favorite because, atypical for the genre, it's remarkably sober and unsentimental. Packer is candid about his limitations, both personally and within a system in which merit is incidental at best. This is a frustration countless Peace Corps Volunteers have experienced. It doesn't contrive a happy ending out of not much nor does it tie a neat little bow on everything. The ambiguity is what makes this memoir so authentic.
But it remains my favorite because, atypical for the genre, it's remarkably sober and unsentimental. Packer is candid about his limitations, both personally and within a system in which merit is incidental at best. This is a frustration countless Peace Corps Volunteers have experienced. It doesn't contrive a happy ending out of not much nor does it tie a neat little bow on everything. The ambiguity is what makes this memoir so authentic.
August 30, 2012
This is an excellent Peace Corps memoir. Packer is a gifted writer: his observations and critiques of education, race, poverty, colonialism, "development," and politics in Togo were vivid. The ending took me by surprise. One blind spot, however, was gender: he did not adequately explore the exploitation and abuse of women in Togo, which was unfortunate given the domestic abuse he heard next door and his patronage of a prostitute. Still, it was a very helpful book for a Westerner to read about Western Africa and it felt timely, although it was written in the early 80s.
October 11, 2025
Very interesting and realistic depiction of life in Western Africa, including quite a bit of political commentary.
George Packer was a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in Togo in the 1980's and writes vividly and honestly about his experiences, his concerns, his doubts, and his observations. I was a PC volunteer in Western Africa 20 years before George, and I can say that not much changed in those years (except the availability of luxuries like motorcycles, typewriters, Western drinks, and radios). The same kind & friendly locals, the same intense interest in education, the same belief that through education the locals’ lives would inevitably change for the better. The same cultural norms and practices.
The Village of Waiting contains quite a bit of political commentary and projects a mostly negative opinion of the Peace Corps ideal; in fact, Parker did not finish his two year PC commitment.
If you are interested in political commentary, this might be the book for you. If you are interested in traditional African life or in the Peace Corps experience, you might look elsewhere for a more positive view. Some include: New Song in a Strange Land, Under the Neem Tree, Malaria Dreams, Return to Laughter, Nine Hills to Nambonkaha ---- And of course many others.
I appreciated the honesty of Packer's observations, and of course enjoyed the happy jolts of recognition of familiar events, but the whole book was too pessimistic for me. Perhaps he did too much "thinking" and too little living in the moment and in the place he was.
George Packer was a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in Togo in the 1980's and writes vividly and honestly about his experiences, his concerns, his doubts, and his observations. I was a PC volunteer in Western Africa 20 years before George, and I can say that not much changed in those years (except the availability of luxuries like motorcycles, typewriters, Western drinks, and radios). The same kind & friendly locals, the same intense interest in education, the same belief that through education the locals’ lives would inevitably change for the better. The same cultural norms and practices.
The Village of Waiting contains quite a bit of political commentary and projects a mostly negative opinion of the Peace Corps ideal; in fact, Parker did not finish his two year PC commitment.
If you are interested in political commentary, this might be the book for you. If you are interested in traditional African life or in the Peace Corps experience, you might look elsewhere for a more positive view. Some include: New Song in a Strange Land, Under the Neem Tree, Malaria Dreams, Return to Laughter, Nine Hills to Nambonkaha ---- And of course many others.
I appreciated the honesty of Packer's observations, and of course enjoyed the happy jolts of recognition of familiar events, but the whole book was too pessimistic for me. Perhaps he did too much "thinking" and too little living in the moment and in the place he was.
October 30, 2017
The Village of Waiting is a memoir of George Packer's two years in the Peace Corps in a small village in the West African country of Togo. The book is also a personal view of the impact - and lack of impact - on a small village in a small country. Posted to teach English in the local school, Packer comes to question his role in a place where running water is needed more than language lessons. He looks what affect development has on the people in his book, mostly his neighbors - his landlady and her family, the chief, the schoolteacher, as well as bureaucrats and government officials who he meets over the course of the book.
The book is very readable, despite the weighty subject. It's full of daily life and the complicated relationships of a small village, such as an ongoing jealous feud his landlady and his neighbor over who cooks him dinner.
Written 35 years ago, I expected the book to be dated. But it's still surprisingly relevant today.
The book is very readable, despite the weighty subject. It's full of daily life and the complicated relationships of a small village, such as an ongoing jealous feud his landlady and his neighbor over who cooks him dinner.
Written 35 years ago, I expected the book to be dated. But it's still surprisingly relevant today.
May 12, 2019
This is the author's own story of the time he lived in Togo with the Peace Corps. He was there for 18 months in the early 1980s. He was stationed in a village called Lavie as an English Teacher. What he finds is the desperately poor, who pin all of their hopes on the people who are sent to help them. He gets to know a wide variety of people while he is there - the villagers, the chiefs, the children at his school, and tries to figure out how he fits into their world. He comes to care for the people in the village and wants to help so badly. But knows that he will never make enough difference. That he will never be able to catch up with how much they all need.
This was a good book. I thought it was very, very well written. The story was engaging, and George tells a lot of stories about his time there and the people, and he expresses his frustrations well. When you first start this book you will wonder to yourself "wow George - what were you even doing there? You seem to just be focusing on the negative". BUT - as the story goes along, it becomes more well rounded and you start to understand his frustration. And you come to realize that we would probably all feel that way - especially growing up in middle class America. You would feel helpless in what would look like a hopeless situation.
I encourage you to read this book. It gave me a really good look into the village life in Togo.
This was a good book. I thought it was very, very well written. The story was engaging, and George tells a lot of stories about his time there and the people, and he expresses his frustrations well. When you first start this book you will wonder to yourself "wow George - what were you even doing there? You seem to just be focusing on the negative". BUT - as the story goes along, it becomes more well rounded and you start to understand his frustration. And you come to realize that we would probably all feel that way - especially growing up in middle class America. You would feel helpless in what would look like a hopeless situation.
I encourage you to read this book. It gave me a really good look into the village life in Togo.
July 9, 2021
George Packer offers a blunt observation of life in Togo, West Africa from a white, Western perspective. Serving for the Peace Corps for a year and a half (supposed to be two) as an English teacher, Packer wrestles with the hopeless realities of his neighbors and friends in the village of Lavié as they suffer tragedy after tragedy and still, somehow, persist. Packer struggles with how to do good to an obviously hurting people but questions the benefits of any good he can possibly do, because of corruption and social mores that are commonplace in Africa. This is a challenging read, especially as an American, to be able to somewhat experience the stark contrast of reality between people, just simply because of the continent one did not chose to be born on. I appreciate Packer's openess about his doubts and his ability to not give easy answers to unimaginably complex realities that occur in our broken and unfair world.
May 14, 2019
African Abyss
George Packer recounts his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo. The book explores Packer’s subjective architecture as he encounters the difficulties of living in a developing, authoritarian country. The oppressive climate of deluge and drought of sub Saharan Africa and the poverty and sickness afflicting its inhabitants defeat Packer despite his desire to help. It would be interesting to see Packer compare Togo to Ghana and describe how similar cases produce marginally different outcomes. The human condition is problematic and Togo’s poverty brings these problems into sharp focus. Packer is talented in representing the humanity of the people with whom he lived and worked. Those who want to understand the potential emotional challenges of doing development work would benefit from Packer’s reflections.
George Packer recounts his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo. The book explores Packer’s subjective architecture as he encounters the difficulties of living in a developing, authoritarian country. The oppressive climate of deluge and drought of sub Saharan Africa and the poverty and sickness afflicting its inhabitants defeat Packer despite his desire to help. It would be interesting to see Packer compare Togo to Ghana and describe how similar cases produce marginally different outcomes. The human condition is problematic and Togo’s poverty brings these problems into sharp focus. Packer is talented in representing the humanity of the people with whom he lived and worked. Those who want to understand the potential emotional challenges of doing development work would benefit from Packer’s reflections.
September 12, 2020
I don't remember how I came across this book but it's one of my absolutely all time favorites. It's a firsthand account of an American Peace Corps volunteer living in a rural village in the country of Togo, Africa in the 1980s. Author does a really good job I thought of going into the social and political state of both his small village, urban areas, and the continent overall, as seen from the eyes of an outsider. And of course what it's like coming from a 1980s USA to go live in the African bush, and the struggles of living in a different culture and still feeling alienated from who should be your peers. I found the writing to be matter-of-fact but still compassionate. I couldn't put the book down, and it's one of few book reviews I'll go out of my way to write because I think everyone should read it.
December 28, 2020
This was my introduction to George Packer, brought about by my interest in cross-cultural observations and with a specific interest in Peace Corp memoirs.
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Perhaps I have picked up on the author’s ambivalence toward his experience? A well-written narrative, but this reader would have enjoyed more engagement by the author. It’s almost as if Packer was anticipating his reader’s disappointment in his actions ( specifically not finishing his contract with the Peace Corp and leaving 6 months early). Or is it that he kept himself so removed from the villagers because he knew there was so little he could do to help them?
That being said, I read a recent analysis by George Packer about the Trump years that was spot-on and beautifully written. I will be looking for more of his work and look forward to getting to know his other writing.
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Perhaps I have picked up on the author’s ambivalence toward his experience? A well-written narrative, but this reader would have enjoyed more engagement by the author. It’s almost as if Packer was anticipating his reader’s disappointment in his actions ( specifically not finishing his contract with the Peace Corp and leaving 6 months early). Or is it that he kept himself so removed from the villagers because he knew there was so little he could do to help them?
That being said, I read a recent analysis by George Packer about the Trump years that was spot-on and beautifully written. I will be looking for more of his work and look forward to getting to know his other writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2021
George Packer writes about foreign policy for The New Yorker and The Atlantic. I think this is his first book, a memoir about his time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo. I don’t think he especially enjoyed his time and the pessimism is apparent; I didn’t especially enjoy the book. I nearly quit early on when he was stuck in Lome waiting for his housing. That interlude was too much of the negative neophyte in major west African capital. This book is well written, with a mix of his experiences, history, and (then) current political events in Togo, but there’s little heartfelt, and memoir without this element is lacking. I detected no generosity in his spirit and no introspection. Why did he join Peace Corps? Why did he quit early? Those are only two of the questions I expected to have answered. Two stars because I think the writing is good.
August 31, 2021
The Village of Waiting / George Packer. This book about Packer’s experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in a Togo community in the eighties was first published in that decade. This very personal, well-written account is engaging. Moreover, it continues--over three decades later--to be a brilliant description and analysis of an African culture and, inevitably, a powerful consideration of Western values, as well. It turns out that George Packer has been an important thinker / observer for a long time.
January 19, 2021
This was an interesting depiction of Packer’s time volunteering in Togo. He provided great detail of his time getting to know the local villagers where he lived. Good insight into the main challenges they face. Definitely written from the point of view of your typical peace corps volunteer in Africa but also from the perspective of someone who remained engaged with his “adopted” Togolese family.
April 29, 2021
A Tale of Life in a Village in Africa
Intimate details of life far away written by a most sensitive and compassionate human being. He so lives out the values and sweetness of his father for whom I once worked. My own granddaughter lived in Nairobi and spent 4 years connecting the populace to internet personal connections to fight election violence. George definitely fills the role of making the world a better place. Thank you.
Intimate details of life far away written by a most sensitive and compassionate human being. He so lives out the values and sweetness of his father for whom I once worked. My own granddaughter lived in Nairobi and spent 4 years connecting the populace to internet personal connections to fight election violence. George definitely fills the role of making the world a better place. Thank you.
August 12, 2021
Packer writes about his experiences of the Peace Corps, teaching English in Togo. I don't know why but I just couldn't totally engage with this book. I felt like there were many observations, but not enough emotion, if that makes sense. Why did he end up joining the Peace Corps? What kept him there? It was fascinating to read as an American, but I've read other stories of people doing similar things in different places that hooked me in a lot more.
March 3, 2022
4.5
Chronology can get a little confusing and there is occasionally some repetition but his writing is super engaging and really honest. I also like how he struggles with his role as a white man in Africa. He has a lot of insight into his own white gaze for a 20 year old in the 80’s. My copy has the 2001 afterword - without I may have rated this book a little lower as I have a hard time with abrupt endings.
Chronology can get a little confusing and there is occasionally some repetition but his writing is super engaging and really honest. I also like how he struggles with his role as a white man in Africa. He has a lot of insight into his own white gaze for a 20 year old in the 80’s. My copy has the 2001 afterword - without I may have rated this book a little lower as I have a hard time with abrupt endings.
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