Peace Like a Monkey: And Other Tales of Life in Tanzania

by Marya K. Plotkin

In her collection of essays, Peace Like a Monkey, Marya Plotkin brings her experience living and working in Tanzania home to the U.S. Her humor, empathy, tenderness, and insight bring East Africa to life for readers. Her visit to a nail salon turns into a lesson in the challenges of delivering health care in an impoverished country then into a story about the importance of personal connection. She and colleagues disregard the cynical wisdom that the person who appears to be injured by the side of the road may be a robber waiting for a sympathetic passer-by, and prove that the urge to be kind should prevail. She loses a valued book, only to find it months later, far from the place it went missing, and spins a tale of its travels that illustrates the flow of things and people in a world that values connection above all else. And then there is the monkey.
Readers will come away from this book wiser and with their better angels nurtured.

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2017

Reviews

[Susan Lewallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways Marya Plotkin’s book is what I’d like to have written. I lived in Tanzania for 12 years, working in the health care sector, and I recognized the places she wrote about. I’ve just finished my debut novel, based in some of them. I left under unfortunate circumstances in 2012 and admit to some ambivalence – particularly about the politics and corrupt institutions, which she acknowledges briefly. But most of the time there I loved my life, and Plotkin nicely conveys the warmth and easy laughter I enjoyed.

It’s hard to be objective in evaluating the book because of my connections to the places she describes. I shuddered while reading the incident with the phone and the toilet – that was one of my nightmares. (I learned that the more rural the setting the more important to wear a loose skirt to avoid being hobbled with pants down – and empty pockets before heading to the toilet.) The story of losing her dear friend was well told and very moving.

The author’s generous heart shines through and there’s some nice prose but I do think that stronger developmental editing could have pulled the essays together into a more cohesive story. For example, we learned early on, in chapter 4, that she’d had enough of the negative aspects of life in Dar and was thinking of leaving; this might have been better placed near the end of the book. Even though this was a compilation of essays, a few more transition scenes or sentences could have made the collection flow together better.

I enjoyed the book for so many personal reasons that I gave it four stars. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Tanzania or the expat life in eastern Africa.

[Rebecca Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Peace Like a Monkey. By page 5, I knew that this was the kind of book that I would be sad to finish.

I lived in Dar es Salaam for a few years in the ’00s, though not nearly as long as Marya. She perfectly captures my own nostalgia for a country and culture that is warm, hospitable, quick to laugh and full of heart.

Marya’s writing is empathetic, insightful and real, without an ounce of self-indulgence. She sees the positive in every situation without sugar-coating. She is funny, but never irreverent.

Chapters 8 (Got Placentas?) and 10 (Blood Samples on Filter Paper) should be required reading for any student of global public health. And if you’re thinking about living in a developing country, read pages 4-5 about paying the electric bill in Tanzania, and think long and hard about whether this scenario sounds like fun or torture.

Generosity is at the heart of Marya’s writing, and of her soul. I hope that she will generously continue to share her tales of Tanzania, home and human connection.

[Nora Gaskin Esthimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her collection of essays, Peace Like a Monkey, Marya Plotkin brings her experience living and working in Tanzania home to the U.S. Her humor, empathy, tenderness, and insight bring East Africa to life for readers. Her visit to a nail salon turns into a lesson in the challenges of delivering health care in an impoverished country then into a story about the importance of personal connection. She and colleagues disregard the cynical wisdom that the person who appears to be injured by the side of the road may be a robber waiting for a sympathetic passer-by, and prove that the urge to be kind should prevail. She loses a valued book, only to find it months later, far from the place it went missing, and spins a tale of its travels that illustrates the flow of things and people in a world that values connection above all else. And then there is the monkey.
Readers will come away from this book wiser and with their better angels nurtured.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought it because I am going to be in Tanzania next summer. It has some interesting between-chapter information about cultural differences between locals and tourists, but much of this short book is about the author's work with health organizations in Tanzania. Plotkin certainly has a unique perspective on the culture of the country, but be prepared for more medical details than you might otherwise expect.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear-eyed love letter to a continent, country, and city that has brought her much joy, empathy and insight, this book is food for those enmeshed in first-world problems. Love shines through on every page!