Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond

by Mark D. Walker, First Person Editing Services (Editor)

Summer, 1971. A naive young man must decide his path upon graduationfrom a small university in Colorado. Amidst the turmoil ofthecounterculture years and the looming possibility of being senttoVietnam, he concludes that he wants to travel, serve, and, ifpossible,save the world. As a Peace Corps volunteer Mark embarks on avigorouscross-cultural experience in a Caribbean and two CentralAmericancountries, with a final stop in one of the more isolated areasof thehighlands of Guatemala. Though beset with a fear of the unknownandfeelings of profound isolation due to being the only volunteer inaremote village, he eventually gets to know and appreciate the peopleofthe rural communities he is privileged to live among. After anear-death experience takes him to another part of Guatemala andeventually to ahorse town, Mark meets the love of his life, Ligia, whowill bear himthree children and be part of a lifelong commitment to, and appreciation of, this beautiful and unique country.

Mark'sforty-year career with various international non-governmentalorganizations begins whenhe sets up a local development agency inGuatemala to help the poorestof the poor, whose plight is at leastpartially due to the policies ofhis own government. Mark's career comesto a sudden and unexpected turnafter he is let go as the CEO of one ofthese international NGOs, andthis frees him up to focus on his threechildren and his sevengrandchildren and his new vocation - writing.

According to theMidwest Review's "Different My Life in thePeaceCorps and Beyond" is more than just another travel memoir. It isanengaged and engaging story of one man's physical and spiritualjourneyof self-discovery through Latin American, African, European, andAsiantopography, cuisine, politics, and history. Informative,compelling,impressively candid, "Different Latitudes" is an especiallyandunreservedly recommended addition to both community and academiclibrary Contemporary American Biography collections in general, andPeace Corps History supplemental studies lists in particular.

The Presidentof the National Peace Corps Association, Glenn Blumhorst,said, "...It'sone of the best RPCV memoirs I've read (and I have gonethrough quite afew)"

Ambassador (ret.), Edwin G. Corr, USAmbassador to threeLatin American countries said, "Professionals ininternational affairsand development will profit by reading it; andpersons interested inforeign relations and foreign cultures will enjoythe author'sinsights..."

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2017

Reviews

[J.P. Willson · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to follow

[Bryan Miesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is inspiring, thoughtful, encouraging and challenging. It's filled with great wisdom and insights from years of hands-on experience. It is a field guide for anyone trying to navigate the twists and turns of the nonprofit world. The book can best be summarized when Mark states: "C’est la vie. You can only do your best even though the odds for success can be against you". Mark is a great writer, story teller and down to earth man of integrity. Mark’s life has not been a series of coincidences, but rather divine appointments as he takes the reader through inspirational accounts based on real life success stories of perseverance and faith in God. I personally know Mark as a loving husband, full of grace and humility, with a huge heart for everyone he comes in contact with. What a great legacy Mark is leaving to his children and grandchildren.

[John Thorndike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially in these days of Covid, it’s too easy for me to forget about the world: the broad world filled with other cultures, in many of which people struggle just to survive. Different Latitudes brings that world home. Its stories are evocative, sometimes humorous and always compelling. Because I was in the Peace Corps myself, in El Salvador, and because I married a Salvadoreña, I found the sections on Central America especially moving. But Mark Walker truly has his eye on the wide world, and his concern for the poor of Africa, Asia and South America is what guides this inspiring book. It starts with the Peace Corps and expands from there. Walker, I imagine, has been keeping notes, or a journal, his whole life, for his stories are filled with the graphic details that make a book sing.

[Hal Rifken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Walker’s memoir is a colorful, nuanced reflection on a life remarkably well lived. He is an extreme “do-gooder”, never staying far from set Christian/humanistic values that served as a ballast during work in community development projects largely in the developing world. Beginning with the Peace Corps in Guatemala (where he met his soon-to-be wife, Ligia),
his memoir reflects a 40+ year career serving in international NGOs, an inspiration for anyone contemplating work in programs that serve the disadvantaged. And for those like me interested in this type of career trajectory—Peace Corps, NGO involvement, Rotary—his life reflects fond memories of similar early career experiences.

[Katrina Shawver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Walker has written a thorough account of his life in the world of nonprofits, beginning with his Peace Corps experience in Guatemala. He truly has traveled the world. Some of the more entertaining portions are his 'top ten' lists, akin to David Letterman's top ten. This memoir includes personal photos, and shows his passion for nonprofits and serving others. If you are considering a career in nonprofits, or seek a career of purpose, then this book may be for you.

[Jody Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different Latitudes is an extraordinary journey of one extraordinary man who dedicated his life to the Peace Corps and then to help others on his life's journey. With courage and seeking truth to help humanity, Mark D. Walker's work is inspiring to those of us who search to help our fellow man.

[Sarah F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. I gained a new perspective on “do-gooders” and how much works it takes to support various communities in Latam and Asia - thanks to Mark’s anecdotes and effort in dedicating his life to support them and writing this book.

[Chris Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Different Latitudes” is a memoir of an extraordinary life. Mark Walker recounts his journey around the world and how he felt during the various stages of life. The impact that he has made is truly remarkable, which I no doubt feel came from those he revered throughout his life. His role models, as he said, were the “Do-Gooders” of the international development world. Aristotle once said, “An unexamined life is not worth living,” Mark is not a man that will ever have to second-guess his impact on the world.

As the story progresses, you will see how a man joining the Peace Corps to avoid fighting a war “an unjust war” was pushed into a career that allowed him to find the love of his life and raise a family while major geopolitical shifts were a constant reality in the countries they lived and worked in. Mark was also transformed by the challenges in which he encountered while living in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. As a reader, I felt that I had the opportunity to passively participate along with the journey, which was an honor.

For anyone considering the Peace Corps, I think this book will provide you with a historical overview of the experiences of past volunteers but it should not be emulated in its entirety since many of his adventures included activities which would get your discharged from service. For those considering a career in international development, I believe the industry has dramatically changed over the years and has become a lot more formalized since the early 1970’s.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in serving in the Peace Corps, working in international development, or simply enjoy reading biographies on adventurous lives. I also recommend this book to those who donate to international development and international ministries because I believe it provides a clearer understanding of the lives of the beneficiaries, which is valuable for benefactors contributing to the development and relief efforts.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.
_Chris Ammon, PC Moldova/PCR Liberia

[D.W.Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir of a lifelong fundraiser for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that provide aid to developing countries. His first international experience was as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala in the early 1970s. He married a Guatemalan and had three children there before moving on to a career involving many locations both foreign and domestic; the “different latitudes of the title.

The book is an interesting read, particularly if you are considering a career working in international aid, especially with NGOs. It is mostly well written though there are parts I found somewhat more self-congratulatory than I would have liked. But it’s a memoir, not a novel!

I was particularly interested in the Peace Corps part of the memoir, since I also served in the Peace Corps in Central America in the 1970s. Every Peace Corps story is different, but I expect his is fairly typical for the time and region. The one part I am still shaking my head about was the author leaving his young wife and infant daughter on their own (with her family) while he embarked on a solo tour of South America. I can’t imagine doing that!

Mark Walker writes in a conversational style. His essential humanity and his sensitivity to people and their cultures shine through. There is no doubt that he has identified with and cared sincerely about the people of many countries that he has worked with through the years. Read his stories and enjoy them.

[Mark Wentling · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a good many people who live extraordinary lives, but there are few among them who make the effort to record the highlights of their eventful life in a book. Mark Walker is among the minority who have documented in a book the richness of a life lived to the fullest. His inspirational account of his many years of trying to help less fortunate people around the globe does not fail to move one emotionally. The experiences and lessons he shares are useful to all, especially those with any connection to humanitarian activities. The reading of this lovely memoir will live with me forever. This kindred spirit extends his heartfelt thanks to the author.

[Mark Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read--but of course I'm biased as it is my first book.

[Alex Newton]

For those returned Peace Corps volunteers reminiscing about their experiences or those wondering what the overseas experience may really be like and where it might take you in life, Mark Walker's Different Latitudes is unparalleled amongst the Peace Corps genre books. Very well written with insightful quotes throughout, he entertains the reader with remarkable details coming from his life-long diary. Some of them I know from being an agriculture PCV like Mark at the same time in Guatemala, the early 1970's, with mutual closest friends such as his best man at his wedding there as a volunteer to Ligia, his Guatemalan wife of now 44 years.
Whether it was complaining about Doña Martha's giving him only one egg for breakfast before realizing that he was the only one in her family being served eggs, or failing to ensure that a farmer harvested his new-variety potatoes on the scheduled day, ruining the USAID-financed trial, Don Marcos learned a lot along the way, including sometimes simply keeping one's mouth shut and simply observing in unfamiliar cultural settings, or learning to constantly seek the wisdom of the poor, who know a lot more than we often think, based on "their lifetimes of living and suffering". He sees no miraculous end to poverty in sight but his best advice for reducing overseas poverty is, like mine, empowering local leaders and rethinking how U.S. foreign policy may be reinforcing corrupt governments like those in Guatemala and thus inadvertently perpetuating poverty.
Mark recounts how in his late 30's, he became a fundraiser and for three decades worked for various international organizations, such as CARE, and how he stressed the need for a personal touch with potential big-dollar donors and for a more novel approach to philanthropy - transform the donor as well as the recipient organization - that he demonstrates with his own numerous examples, giving the reader clear insight into this specialized field. While frequently interacting with well-top-do Evangelical donors, even as a guest at their homes, Mark never strove for or achieved personal wealth, and all along the way would "find treasures that most of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the world would never find." All in all, a very insightful and inspiring book.