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Jan 07, 2011

Osho rated it:

#278
Title: First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure Changed My Life
Author: Eve Brown-Waite
Publisher: Broadway Books
Year: 2009
305 pages

Brown-Waite's account of her Peace Corps and CARE experiences starts poorly but is worth sticking with. Either that or skip to the Uganda section. The memoir reads like two memoirs written at different times and in different styles. The first section, More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2010

Karen added it

What happens when you throw a perfectly urbanized young woman into a third-world country? Eve Brown-Waite recounts how this very experience matured her from an idealistic, naiive activist to an experienced woman of the world.[return][return]Eve gets her first taste of how the rest of the world lives through the Peace Corp. Right away, she proves how in-over-her-head she is by falling in love with her recruiter, John, and pines for him all through her time in Ecuador. Eventually, Ecuador become t More...

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Dec 15, 2011

Jill rated it:

I liked Eve the first paragraph or two into the author's note, so I knew I'd enjoy this one. The contrast between her lack of confidence in her ability to carry out her self imposed adventures and the reality of her actually making good on those goals was fun. Granted, she wasn't able to change the world or even make as big a ripple as she'd planned, but she adapted into the circumstances and she tried to help improve people's lives, even if it didn't always stick. Her role in helping boys re More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

This book was good, but dated. Hello, right up my ally! For the most part I liked it, but I am going to say the big thing that I didn't like. It tried to jam too much into a short book. I wish the author had written like two books, one about her time in the Peace Corp and maybe her courtship with her husband and then another book about their time in Africa. Instead, it was jammed into one, kind of short, book. And in doing that, lots of detail was left out. And it's the details I would have like More...

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Apr 19, 2010

Jeannie rated it:

Can I rate the first section five stars and the second section three? Being a RPCV (returned Peace Corps volunteer) and ex-"expat" myself, the book rang true. I laughed out loud about gamma globulin shots, weekly Newsweek magazines, host families that, with the best of intentions, will never leave you alone, scary staging in Miami, crazy water heaters, people going through your personal hygiene products trying to figure them out, etc. It was a fun, realistic look at the well-meaning More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 21, 2009

LeAnne rated it:

CARE and the Peace Corps do not have the same lifestyle as missionaries, but the confusion and frustrations of being plunged into a small town in a developing country are very similar. The fact is that negative events are much funnier to read about than pleasant ones, and Eve Brown-Waite’s misadventures in Ecuador and Uganda will have you laughing out loud whether you have ever been in a developing country or not. Those of us who have, will see ourselves and our friends in everything from maki More...

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Jun 06, 2009

Cheryl rated it:

First Comes Love, then comes Malaria is Eve's memoir of how she met her husband as well as she experiences with the Peace Corps. For a long time Eve would mention to everyone how she was going to join the Peace Corps but she never really imagined she would actually do it. That all changed with Eve met John.

John worked for the Peace Corps. He also happened to be the recruiter that Eve met with, when she went for her interview. Those two hours of Eve's time was the most wonderous time More...

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Apr 21, 2009

Marieke rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 08, 2009

Andrea rated it:

The cover and title are misleading. This book is more culturally sensitive and aware than I expected. Detailed description of culture shock and adaptation make the book worth reading. The author does not spend much time describing the places or cultures she interacts with. But she is refreshingly honest about her reactions to the disorientation and frustration of dealing with a totally unfamiliar culture and the addictive qualities of "aid" work.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2010

Trish rated it:

Eve Brown-Waite gives the reader a good idea of what it must have been like to be a Peace Corp volunteer in the late 1980s in South America, and then she describes expatriate life in one of the more remote outposts in Africa. Undoubtedly she succeeded in living well in these difficult environments because of her upbeat personality and sense of humor, though I wished she would allow the story to tell itself rather than injecting herself so forcefully into each vignette. But then it would be a dif More...

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Dec 16, 2011

Emily rated it:

As someone who's about to become a Peace Corps volunteer I read this book in order to get another perspective on what it is like to serve. The book is split into two parts-- when she's a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, and then when she is in Uganda with her husband when he is working for CARE. It's almost like 2 different books, and one gets the sense that she is rushing through the first part of the story just to get to the second. The whole premise of her falling in love with her Peace Corp More...

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Jun 11, 2011

Patti rated it:

This was a fast enjoyable read. Eve's story illustrates that perhaps the biggest impact of The Peace Corps is the change in world view the Peace Corps volunteers come home with.

Her description of the teaching session in which she learned which cuts of beef were the ones she should choose in the open air market was wonderful. The ones with flies on them were the ones to pick, the one looking clean and tasty had to have been sprayed with pesticides. It reminded me of the pig faces th More...

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Aug 14, 2010

Jennie rated it:

I found this book hilarious and eye opening and really connected with the author. I have always dreamed of taking a two week trip through Africa complete with sleeping under the stars and among the animals. Much like the author, the dream was more of just that a dream and when faced with actually living under such conditions, the reality is much different than the dream. She actually took this to the next level than I have by perusing the dream, even though the reality wasn’t as bright as she im More...

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Sep 16, 2011

William rated it:

So read the title to this book... then forget it. The title is completely misleading, as it makes the reader believe she is picking up one more book about the romance and fulfillment of world travel. This book is not about love, not about malaria, and not about a peace corp "poster boy."

BUT, this book is excellent, and it is excellent precisely because it is crude and honest and not worried about romanticizing the experience. In an age of literature filled with divorcees f More...

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Mar 26, 2011

Jana rated it:

This was one of those rare books that I couldn't wait to read in bed at night and was really sorry when it ended. The subject (life in a remote Ugandan village as a peace corp wife and mother) was fascinating, as the author humorously shared intimate stories of her own life (culture shock coming and going) and those of the local people she came to love as family. I was very interested to read about the Ugandan people and their culture. Her descriptions of African life, scenery, food shopping (!) More...

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Apr 25, 2010

Becca rated it:

I love a good travelogue. The author speaks of such fondness for war-torn, impoverished Uganda it almost makes me want to take a vacation there. I did have a hard time relating to the author sometimes though. Sometimes she was desperate for her own life and career. And other times she was a swooning housewife. They seemed like two different people and I couldn't figure out which she really was. In fact, I left the book thinking she ended up defining herself externally rather than ever find More...

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May 28, 2009

Alene rated it:

I loved this book. It wasn't deep and profound, and I don't really read books for escape, but that's what it was. It was the exact dream I'd once had for my own life that I will never be able to fulfill so for once I see it as an "escape" even though usually books inspire me how to live rather than dream.

It was a quick read and full of good stories, I could see myself in the author's shoes, being full of desire for adventure and then not knowing how to do anything and f More...

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Apr 13, 2011

Chloe rated it:

This memoir was really event based and not as thoughtful as I wanted it to be. The author describes major events in this sort of matter-of-fact way, but never provided the reflective commentary I wanted to get what the heck was going on. I thought that Eve was just a bundle of contradictions (which admittedly, everyone is) but she never took the time to really explain why she acted the way she did. I hate criticizing memoirs because the work that her and her husband do is really exciting and imp More...

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Apr 20, 2009

Lizzy rated it:

This book was so funny and I could relate to Brown-Waite's desire to "fit the part" in the volunteer world. This memoir fills the desire to reconcile volunteerism with the "real world" or the world that society has constructed for a larger majority. Her voice also speaks to a larger awareness/harsher reality about Uganda and the programs/aid relief that is available (at times, lack thereof).

I wish I could greater testimony to how I delighted in this book - but p More...

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Apr 30, 2009

Jordan rated it:

It's fun to learn more about a friend through her memoir. Her situation is really relevant to mine, though I didn't have to go through the whole Peace Corps application process. Also, I'm not in a desolate area, but still living abroad and trying to make a difference. Eve is great at telling a serious story in a humorous style without making light of the issue. I have always enjoyed hearing her speak or preach because she can tell a difficult story and still leave you feeling hopeful.

More...

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Mar 14, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

I was pleasantly surprised at this book. It was well-written and heartwarming. At first, I was a little irritated by the main charachter-- but after she started her assignment with the Peace Corps, she softened and I grew to like her. All of the other charachters were well developed, and identifiable. Her story was funny, too. I especially liked how the author talked about the cultural differences honestly and with a sense of humor, but never put down the other cultures that she came in contact More...

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Nov 23, 2009

Catherine rated it:

The title pretty much covers the content of the book. I thought her Peace Corps experience in Ecuador was interesting. As her story progressed to moving to Uganda with her husband after he accepted a job with CARE, I thought her descriptions of culture shock and integrating into her new surroundings was told with much humor and honesty. I sympathized with many of her frustrations.

Overall, the book was entertaining and gave an interesting glimpse of one woman's Peace Corps experien More...

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Oct 24, 2011

Kelly rated it:

Quick, enjoyable read. But I felt like it had the potential to be a better book (or books - I feel like it could have easily been written as two books, one about her time in Ecuador and one about Uganda) than it was. She wrote about little snippits of her life in developing nations, but more description about where she was or more description on her own personal changes would have made the books more satisfying. While the Peace Corps have never been on my radar, this book confirmed that I wouldn More...

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Jul 02, 2011

Josephine rated it:

I wanted to like this -- I really did. But I think the reason it took so long for me to finish reading this book was because Eve Brown-Waite seemed to be trying too hard to be charming and quirky -- like Carrie Bradshaw if she had followed some handsome do-gooder out to Uganda and married him.

But the thing is, Eve Brown-Waite is no Carrie Bradshaw -- though, some of the flightly, materialistic, whiney aspects of Carrie's character is on full display in this book.

I think More...

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Jun 23, 2009

Kristina rated it:

Very funny and real story of Eve's adventure to different parts of the world. You do not have to have been in the Peace Corps or even have left the US you will still find this book hysterically funny. However there are a few sad parts. For the most part I was laughing hard because I have been there (PC Bolivia) and could really relate but in situations where I did not, Eve's vivid description of each situation drew you in. She has definitely become one of my favorite Authors and I cannot wait fo More...

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Aug 17, 2009

Erin rated it:

Eve Brown has always wanted to join the Peace Corps and live abroad. She is a little afraid of life in a third world country, however, and needs an extra push to follow through on her dream. That push comes in the form of a hot Peace Corps recruiter with whom Eve promptly falls in love. This book tells the story of Eve's brief adventure in the Peace Corps and her years living in rural Uganda after her marriage.

At first, I didn't think I was going to like Eve much. She seemed a li More...

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Jun 18, 2009

Michelle rated it:

I enjoyed this memoir a lot, probably because I secretly want to run off to a developing country myself (sometimes). She paints a pretty good picture of the countries and her experiences. She shows both the good (the relationships formed and the understanding of new cultures she gains) and the bad (getting malaria and being attacked by giant white flying termites). She's a pretty cheeky writer, and I enjoyed her style - funny, at times self-deprecating, and easy-to-read. It was a fun read.

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Aug 21, 2011

Jeanne rated it:

Story of a woman who spends one year in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, marries her recruiter and then spends 3 years in Uganda with CARE. The author seems self-indulgent in her writing, but i really liked, of course, the description of her experiences living in Uganda. We take so much for granted here it's hard not to be in awe of people who choose to live their lives at least for a while in third world countries. There are better books set in Africa though.

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Sep 14, 2011

Mary rated it:

Eve Brown-Waite writes about her experiences in Ecuador and Uganda in this engaging memoir. She first travels to Ecuador with the Peace Corps but must leave early due to medical reasons. She comes home and marries her Peace Corps recruiter, John. They then go to Uganda where John works for CARE for three years. I enjoyed learning about areas I will never be able to experience. First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria was interesting, informative, and fun.

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Sep 07, 2010

Melissa rated it:

I was fully expecting to hate this book. I started it on the way home from the library, and I couldn't stop. I wound up reading until midnight. It was everything that Eat, Pray, Love was not. It was funny, and it was interesting. It didn't make me feel inferior for not being in the Peace Corps, and the main character was somewhat human in her reactions to living in a third world country. I say somewhat because I found her whole pregnancy to be crazy and more than a little reckless. But, hey, it More...

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