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Beyond the Next Village: A Year of Magic and Medicine in Nepal
Beyond the Next Village is Mary Anne Mercer’s memoir of discovery, growth, and awakening in 1978 Nepal, which was then a mysterious country to most of the world. After arriving in Nepal, Mercer, an American nurse, spent a year traveling on foot—often in flip-flops—with a Nepali health team, providing immunizations and clinical care in each village they visited. Communicating in a newly acquired language, she was often called upon to provide the only modern medicine available to the people she and her team were serving. Over time, she learned to recognize and respect the prominence of their cultural beliefs about health and illness. Encounters with life-threatening conditions such as severe malnutrition and ectopic pregnancy gave her an enlightening view of both the limitations and power of modern health care; immersed in villagers’ lives and those of her own team, she realized she was living in not just another country, but another time. This unique story of the joys and perils of one woman’s journey in the shadow of the Himalayas, Beyond the Next Village opens a window into a world where the spirits were as real as the trees, the birds, or the rain—and healing could be as much magic as medicine.
Listening length: 7 hours and 48 minutes
Listening length: 7 hours and 48 minutes
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Audiobook
Published May 27, 2022
8 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 27, 2022
Truth in advertising disclosure. I'm the author's husband. That said, I have spent over ten years in Nepal, most of it in rural settings. I've also written the first trekking guidebook to the country originally published in 1972 with the 8th edition in 2011.
You can only go to Nepal for the first time once in your life. Mary Anne Mercer has captured this experience better than anyone else I can think of. She learned to speak Nepali which gave her valuable insight that most short-term peripatetic persons don't get. And she had meaningful work to do there that was valued by the people in Gorkha district. Life doesn't get much better than that.
A Nepali interacting with trekkers in his country said: "many people come looking, looking... some people come, see! Read this book to get a glimpse of what Mary Anne saw.
You can only go to Nepal for the first time once in your life. Mary Anne Mercer has captured this experience better than anyone else I can think of. She learned to speak Nepali which gave her valuable insight that most short-term peripatetic persons don't get. And she had meaningful work to do there that was valued by the people in Gorkha district. Life doesn't get much better than that.
A Nepali interacting with trekkers in his country said: "many people come looking, looking... some people come, see! Read this book to get a glimpse of what Mary Anne saw.
December 14, 2022
Mesmerizing story of life and struggle in Nepal. Especially enjoyed listening to it in Kathmandu.
July 1, 2022
Beyond the Next Village is the most readable nonfiction book I have read in the last ten years. It tells the story of a young San Francisco nurse who joins a team of health care workers who, over the course of a year, transverse the slippery trails of the hills of Nepal, helping inoculate the children. The book is full of good humor and insight and will definitely inspire you.
April 8, 2024
While on the surface about rural Nepal, the essence of this book transcends geographical boundaries, offering a profound narrative of professional maturation. It reads like an early midlife awakening, urging readers to embrace a world of service, adventure, and, perhaps most poignantly, the raw humanity of people living in the most destitute conditions. In an era marked by escalating wealth inequality and the relentless exploitation of the world’s most vulnerable humans, this narrative—imbued with feminist sensibilities and a keen awareness of class, race, and caste dynamics—serves as a mirror reflecting America’s injustices.
On par with literary gems like “Mountains Beyond Mountains” about Dr. Paul Farmer’s work in Haiti, and “Three Cups of Tea” about Greg Mortenson, this book distinguishes itself by the perspective it offers. Authored by a female nurse practitioner with a deep understanding of public health dynamics, it delves into the root causes of societal afflictions, offering insights that resonate long after the final page is turned.
The choice of Laurie Kohl’s poignant quote as the book’s opening epitomizes its essence: “Somewhere, children dance to the joyous music of life, and elsewhere, they only cling to existence. They are all ours.” It encapsulates the book’s compassionate ethos and underscores the urgency of its message.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Mary Anne Mercer for years through our shared work to stop U.S. participation in the devastating war in Yemen. She is a moral stalwart. We need more individuals like her in our world—individuals who serve as beacons of moral integrity. In a landscape cluttered with superficial narratives, this book stands out as a beacon of authenticity and empathy. It’s not just a book; it’s a transformative journey—one that beckons readers to confront uncomfortable truths while kindling a newfound sense of compassion and purpose. If you’re seeking a book that not only informs but also inspires action, look no further.
On par with literary gems like “Mountains Beyond Mountains” about Dr. Paul Farmer’s work in Haiti, and “Three Cups of Tea” about Greg Mortenson, this book distinguishes itself by the perspective it offers. Authored by a female nurse practitioner with a deep understanding of public health dynamics, it delves into the root causes of societal afflictions, offering insights that resonate long after the final page is turned.
The choice of Laurie Kohl’s poignant quote as the book’s opening epitomizes its essence: “Somewhere, children dance to the joyous music of life, and elsewhere, they only cling to existence. They are all ours.” It encapsulates the book’s compassionate ethos and underscores the urgency of its message.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Mary Anne Mercer for years through our shared work to stop U.S. participation in the devastating war in Yemen. She is a moral stalwart. We need more individuals like her in our world—individuals who serve as beacons of moral integrity. In a landscape cluttered with superficial narratives, this book stands out as a beacon of authenticity and empathy. It’s not just a book; it’s a transformative journey—one that beckons readers to confront uncomfortable truths while kindling a newfound sense of compassion and purpose. If you’re seeking a book that not only informs but also inspires action, look no further.
June 14, 2022
A Tibetan monk observed that people take a trip, see sights and return. Others take a trip, have experiences and when they return, they are not the same person who left. That’s a pilgrimage.
This is a story of an unintended pilgrimage, but a pilgrimage nonetheless. What a wonder to go along! I’m glad this pilgrim kept her journal.
The author describes vividly how she went from a nurse expecting a colorful adventure in a strange land. She became, painfully at times, Nepalese. In the process she launched her life of health care as a human right, especially for women. The color photos are a story themselves. Wait until you see the “ambulance.”
Reading, don't be surprised if your legs get cramps going up and down mountains. That is the kind of author Mercer is. Also honest. A memorable moment is when she gets angry at children throwing rocks and then questions her reaction to a culture that doesn't get angry at each other. (I would like to live in that world, especially now. But I digress.)
GAWD I loved this book.
Someone said, "Don't make friends with the elephant trainer unless you have room in your house for an elephant." Mercer, in signing up to go to Nepal, made friends she didn't expect to know.
I'm reminded of Hindu culture, and how Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, breaks through obstacles. The author had many obstacles we get to share.
Read it. It will do you no harm. We will both be better for it.
This is a story of an unintended pilgrimage, but a pilgrimage nonetheless. What a wonder to go along! I’m glad this pilgrim kept her journal.
The author describes vividly how she went from a nurse expecting a colorful adventure in a strange land. She became, painfully at times, Nepalese. In the process she launched her life of health care as a human right, especially for women. The color photos are a story themselves. Wait until you see the “ambulance.”
Reading, don't be surprised if your legs get cramps going up and down mountains. That is the kind of author Mercer is. Also honest. A memorable moment is when she gets angry at children throwing rocks and then questions her reaction to a culture that doesn't get angry at each other. (I would like to live in that world, especially now. But I digress.)
GAWD I loved this book.
Someone said, "Don't make friends with the elephant trainer unless you have room in your house for an elephant." Mercer, in signing up to go to Nepal, made friends she didn't expect to know.
I'm reminded of Hindu culture, and how Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, breaks through obstacles. The author had many obstacles we get to share.
Read it. It will do you no harm. We will both be better for it.
March 18, 2023
I was captivated the moment I opened this book, at first because I related to the author’s experiences. Like Mercer, I grew up in the Rocky Mountain West a and felt the same wanderlust that Mary Anne Mercer describes, a yearning for a larger world. Like Mercer, my first journey was to work in a third world country with customs and beliefs very different from those I grew up with. I felt the same perplexing sense of alienation and belonging that Mercer describes in her book. In 1978, she got her opportunity to join the “larger world” as a nurse in rural Nepal.
There is travel and there is travel, and Mercer was open to understanding the people among who she was living, learning their customs and beliefs in a non-judgmental way, living with people who have no knowledge of the world she came from, and speak languages she does not know. After spending some time in Kathmandu learning Nepali, she is sent out into the villages to help people. In this completely unknown world, Mercer confronts complex — how to get a woman enduring a difficult pregnancy to a place where she could be adequately cared fore? In such a world, the only way is on foot, down narrow precipitous trails, a two day journey with no guarantee that the doctor will be there to help.
Mercer ended up giving her life to this kind of service. I loved this book.
There is travel and there is travel, and Mercer was open to understanding the people among who she was living, learning their customs and beliefs in a non-judgmental way, living with people who have no knowledge of the world she came from, and speak languages she does not know. After spending some time in Kathmandu learning Nepali, she is sent out into the villages to help people. In this completely unknown world, Mercer confronts complex — how to get a woman enduring a difficult pregnancy to a place where she could be adequately cared fore? In such a world, the only way is on foot, down narrow precipitous trails, a two day journey with no guarantee that the doctor will be there to help.
Mercer ended up giving her life to this kind of service. I loved this book.
June 26, 2022
“What on earth have I done?” was the thought of Mary Anne as the plane circled for landing at Kathmandu, Nepal. The nurse practitioner had dreamt of adventure and travel for years and after a difficult divorce left a busy life with friends and a good job for an 18-month volunteer position giving vaccines in rural Nepal.
Throughout this memoir the author struggles to understand the Nepalese culture so very different from her own. Even so there is an appreciation of the Nepalese sense of humor, their close family and community ties, their celebrations.
In the beauty and ruggedness of the Himalayas there is the challenge of the Nepalese language, dealing with dire poverty, the lack of access to medical care and medicine, and exhausting treks from village to village in a country with few roads.
Being the standout pale foreigner with the Nepali vaccination team, she deals with her own misgivings about her role and her ability to fulfill her contract. The book kept me fascinated with Nepali culture and interested in the personal growth of the author. The subtitle is apropos: A year of magic and medicine in Nepal.
Throughout this memoir the author struggles to understand the Nepalese culture so very different from her own. Even so there is an appreciation of the Nepalese sense of humor, their close family and community ties, their celebrations.
In the beauty and ruggedness of the Himalayas there is the challenge of the Nepalese language, dealing with dire poverty, the lack of access to medical care and medicine, and exhausting treks from village to village in a country with few roads.
Being the standout pale foreigner with the Nepali vaccination team, she deals with her own misgivings about her role and her ability to fulfill her contract. The book kept me fascinated with Nepali culture and interested in the personal growth of the author. The subtitle is apropos: A year of magic and medicine in Nepal.
September 3, 2022
This recently published memoir tells of the year (1978) that the author, an American nurse, spent as a volunteer in Nepal. She worked for a small NGO helping to run a vaccination program. Back then, getting to any rural village in the mountainous country required hours or even days of walking over rough, hilly tracks, carrying all supplies. The author describes this vividly, making us feel the hard work and pain, without whining about it. She also lets us in on her own personal development, as a young divorced woman searching for the way forward. The experiences and lessons she learned served as a basis for her career in public health, focused on mothers and children. Her descriptions of the endless trekking, the very basic medical system, and the heart wrenching conditions and decisions required were excellent and much like what I experienced about a decade later as a volunteer in Nepal myself; I know that’s part of why I enjoyed reading her account. But putting that aside, she’s a good writer, and the book flows pleasantly. Anyone interested in public health in poor countries will enjoy this.
October 31, 2022
I just had a wonderful experience of magic and medicine…..
What a pleasure to read this memoir, which will soon circulate among the rest of my family, young ones included.
It is beautifully written and never self indulgent, which is a hazard, I think, when writing a book like this.
I was very impressed at the level of detail in her recollections….
As someone who trekked in Nepal in 1969 this book resonates greatly in its description and feel for the people and places of that time. My impression is that it will attract others in the same way.
I appreciated also the "coming of age" aspect, and I hope some of our (grand) teenagers will enjoy it, and learn from it. It is a wonderful window into a world so different from ours, yet with much in common.
It took me back to a time when people with little money could be rich in very many ways, and have, as they still do, their own wisdom in understanding the world.
What a pleasure to read this memoir, which will soon circulate among the rest of my family, young ones included.
It is beautifully written and never self indulgent, which is a hazard, I think, when writing a book like this.
I was very impressed at the level of detail in her recollections….
As someone who trekked in Nepal in 1969 this book resonates greatly in its description and feel for the people and places of that time. My impression is that it will attract others in the same way.
I appreciated also the "coming of age" aspect, and I hope some of our (grand) teenagers will enjoy it, and learn from it. It is a wonderful window into a world so different from ours, yet with much in common.
It took me back to a time when people with little money could be rich in very many ways, and have, as they still do, their own wisdom in understanding the world.
November 28, 2022
"Beyond the Next Village" brought me back to a different way of life that I haven’t felt so closely since my years in the Peace Corps. While a completely different setting, culture, and experience from Nepal, the emotions that Mercer's book brings forth are so palpable in a way I haven’t felt for years. Her book brings readers on a life-trek, exploring the deeply spiritual and philosophical questions of belonging, loneliness, the mysteries of medicine, and how we make sense--or don't--of inequities that exist by gender, class, and simply by where we are born.
I actually didn’t want the book to end, so I waited a few days before reading the final section. It's the kind of book that stays with you weeks after reading it, with vivid textures and thought-provoking questions that fill the "magic" of that time of night right before drifting off to sleep.
I actually didn’t want the book to end, so I waited a few days before reading the final section. It's the kind of book that stays with you weeks after reading it, with vivid textures and thought-provoking questions that fill the "magic" of that time of night right before drifting off to sleep.
February 29, 2024
Mary Anne Mercer does a wonderful job of telling you about her experience in Nepal. You can almost feel the heat, bugs, and utter exhaustion when they trek from on area to another to immunize the children and take care of the sick. The overwhelming poverty and lack of medical resources must have been so hard to handle. So many people who have been helped if only they had even the bare minimum of medication.
Learning the language was hard enough but learning the cultural differences was even harder.
As a fellow introvert, I enjoyed hearing about how she learned to cope with all the external stimulation and attention she was getting.
Mary Anne learned a lot about herself and how she could be most useful in her future medical career. It must have been an extremely hard year but so forth it for her personal development.
Learning the language was hard enough but learning the cultural differences was even harder.
As a fellow introvert, I enjoyed hearing about how she learned to cope with all the external stimulation and attention she was getting.
Mary Anne learned a lot about herself and how she could be most useful in her future medical career. It must have been an extremely hard year but so forth it for her personal development.
April 25, 2022
What a marvelous read! As you read, you are trekking in remote Nepal with the author and her team to provide immunizations and some basic health care to remote, very impoverished villages. The exquisite writing blends vivid images, keen observations, warm-hearted appreciation, introspection, and a growing sensitivity to the injustice of harsh inequalities. With deep respect for the Nepalis she serves, the author recounts some of the nursing challenges she encounters in the context of the macro forces affecting health. I have one more chapter to read but I don 't want this journey to end! This is an important read for anyone involved in nursing (anywhere), international health, public health, or international travel.
May 28, 2022
This book captures so beautifully rural Nepal of the 1970's and the dilemmas of Westerners who want to help but struggle to understand the culture. The author's introspection and growth as a human being and as a woman is so honestly depicted. She so deeply describes the dilemmas encountered that she needed to deal with and reminds us all of the inequality - in health care and everything else - around the world. Even for people who have never been to Nepal, the book provides wisdom for anyone who thinks about interacting with the developing world or even local poverty - or for anyone who just likes a good story. Beautifully written and transporting.
July 5, 2022
Beyond the Next Village: A Year of Magic and Medicine in Nepal. Mary Anne Mercer’s book is a “book without borders”. While describing a year of working in remote areas of Nepal, what she learns about herself and the villagers with whom she lives, are universal insights that one can learn if approaching another culture (wherever it may be) with an open mind, humor and compassion. The fact that she writes about villagers in off-the-beaten path areas of Nepal provides added value to anyone who is interested in working or traveling in this endlessly fascinating country.
April 11, 2022
I was lucky enough to live some of this adventure with MaryAnne and, like the author, the experience changed my life! MaryAnne's writing allowed me to immerse myself back into the time and culture of Nepal in the late '70s. It warmly portrays this wonderful, heart-warming, frustrating, fulfilling, and learning adventure. I highly recommend this book -- it might just change YOUR life the way Nepal changed MaryAnne's....and mine!
November 2, 2022
The writing is wonderful and once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down. I've never been to Nepal, yet the important themes of this Nepal-based story resonated with me and caused me to reflect deeply on my own experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer and staff member.
"Beyond the Next Village" should be manditory reading for anyone interested in volunteer or community development work!
"Beyond the Next Village" should be manditory reading for anyone interested in volunteer or community development work!
April 21, 2022
Couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end!
July 31, 2025
Read this book for a class project and really enjoyed it! Very nice to hear about life in a different time in a different place. The protagonist was quite negative and kind of whiney.
September 7, 2023
When a young nurse travels to Katmandu, little does she know what adventures await her in remote Nepal. In her well-written travelogue/memoir, Mary Ann Mercer shares the joys and pains of living and providing services in another culture, so different from her own. Based in Gorka, she learns a new language, manages a local team, treks steep trails on foot in high altitudes to remote destinations to vaccinate the children. This is a rich account of challenges and fascinating insights into the culture, the mission, the people, their religions and festivities. A yearlong adventure of a lifetime, a fascinating read of a woman’s journey to an exotic land.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews