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The Gringo: A Memoir (2012)

by J. Grigsby Crawford(Favorite Author)

3.33 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0988482274 (ISBN13: 9780988482272)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Wild Elephant Press

review 1: I am a current volunteer in the Amazonian region of Ecuador. I was loaned this book by my counterpart who was a PCV in the same omnibus as the writer. I don't feel like much could have changed in 3 years, but everything here is so different in my reality. Maybe it's because I am a girl, maybe it is because I have a different project (I am a natural resource conservation volunteer as well), but also maybe it is different because I am not quite as judgmental or given to so much exaggeration. I'm not saying that these things didn't happen, but his conversations with Ecuadorians, I really just can't even express how wrong they sounded. I'm no where near finishing my 2 years, and likely when I get done it won't be the type of book that gets published and read, but please please... more if you read this book do not let it be the only point of reference you hear form about a Peace Corps or about Ecuador because the fact that this story is "interesting" enough to be a book is because it is not a typical peace corps experience.
review 2: Privileged guy spends two years in the third world. He sees some pretty horrible stuff in his first few months. Instead of moving on and trying to find something worthwhile, he spends the rest of his term hiding in his apartments, painting people in as negative a light as possible, and whining. It almost looks like he is going to end with a revelation, but finished weakly with an entitled white guy whine. less

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