Tales of Togo: A Young Woman's Search for Home in West Africa

"What happens when an idealistic young woman sets off to live and work in a remote community in sub-Saharan Africa in the early 70's? Propelled by activism for peace in Vietnam, social justice and racial equality, she requests a position in northern Togo far from the capital city in an attempt to disassociate herself from the US. But once in Africa, her revolutionary zeal is challenged by others who embrace America and its politics. She teaches alongside authoritarian European nuns and amends her opinion of men in uniform when she falls in love with a policeman. She works hard to fit in, hiring "boys" for help, traveling in mammy wagons and learning four languages to greet, bargain and teach. Her efforts introduce her to prescriptive family roles that do not honor women or offer her female students a promising future. She comes face-to-face with life-threatening illness. Her curiosity and idealism keep her afloat and tell tales that demonstrate determination, reverence and remarkable adaptation"--