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Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle

by Moritz Thomsen

3.78 · rating details · 176 ratings · 33 reviews

At the age of 48, Moritz Thomsen sold his pig farm and joined the Peace Corps. As he tells the story, his awareness of the comic elements in the human situation -- including his own -- and his ability to convey it in fast-moving, earthy prose have made Living Poor a classic.

"Hilariously funny at times, grimly sad at others and leavened with perceptive insights into th

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Paperback, 280 pages

Published December 12th 1991 by University of Washington Press (first published October 1st 1969)

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Apr 14, 2007

Anna rated it

Shelves: peacecorps

this was the one of MANY peace corps memoirs i suffered through (reading material choices were limited to our paltry communal bookshelves in the volunteer lounge of the swaziland peace corps office).
anyway, i used to write a monthly literature review box or our volunteer newsletter, and one month i ranted about this genre. below are my thoughts:

Dissecting the Peace Corps Memoir
One of my least favorite genres of nonfiction is hands-down the “peace corps memoir.” I...more this was the one of MANY peace corps memoirs i suffered through (reading material choices were limited to our paltry communal bookshelves in the volunteer lounge of the swaziland peace corps office).
anyway, i used to write a monthly literature review box or our volunteer newsletter, and one month i ranted about this genre. below are my thoughts:

Dissecting the Peace Corps Memoir
One of my least favorite genres of nonfiction is hands-down the “peace corps memoir.” I attribute it to both the fact that I am a volunteer myself, and thus more critical of the actual content. And then probably due to the sheer volume that I read, I’m picky about writing, appreciating only good prose. More often then not, I feel like returned volunteers have good stories to tell and get book contracts for these stories without actually possessing the literary training or raw talent to pull them off. Even the most talented editors couldn’t fix these calamities.
Just to prove that it doesn’t matter how bad of a writer you are, as long as your granddaddy is famous you can get a book deal, Jason Carter’s Power Lines is an embarrassment to his Duke education. Stylistically, his sentences and paragraphs fall flat, lacking cohesion. And grammatically, he leaves the reader reaching for her copy of Strunk & White. The award for most frustrating goes to Susana Herrera whose Mango Elephants in the Sun made me want to jab blunt objects into my eye sockets as I waded through nonsensical odes to lizards and out of place poems. I couldn’t tell if she wanted the reader to feel sorry for her or be envious. I suppose in the end it didn’t matter because I felt neither. I found Sarah Erdman’s Nine Hills to Nambonkaha, one of the newest in the genre, to be nauseatingly pretentious and self-congratulatory. From a literary standpoint, the lack of coherent theme or message was disappointing. As I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, Geneva Sander’s The Gringo Brought His Mother is ridiculously absurd. It’s a memoir written by a volunteer’s mother after a month-long trip to visit her son. The mother is completely nutty and paints a pathetic portrait of her son; then again whose mother actually writes a peace corps memoir ?!?! Moritz Thomsen’s Living Poor was mind-numbingly boring and topped only by Peter Hessler’s River Town. Hessler’s was so dull that even Kelly (training director) couldn’t finish it. And in the “who cares” category is Hilary Liftin and Kate Montgomery’s Dear Exile, a collection of letters the two friends wrote back and forth during Montgomery’s service (Liftin was stateside). The reader is treated to a nearly constant string of Montgomery’s complaints to her friend about rural village life in Kenya. It’s very hard to muster up sympathy for her bouts of diarrhea when I (and all the other volunteers in Swaziland) still heroically troop to the pit latrine through thick and thin.
It’s not, however, a complete waste of a genre. Two gems sparkle in the rough including Mike Tidwell’s The Ponds of Kalambayi. Tidwell does not shy away from his own shortcomings and writes candidly of his own vices and addictions. His clear and concise prose paints a vivid and enthralling picture of the fisheries program in Zaire.
And then there is George Parker’s The Village of Waiting. The first memoir to take a critical look at post-colonial class, race, and culture issues that surround the Peace Corps experience. Not only is Parker’s writing heads above the best (he’s a Pushcart Prize winning writer whose work has appeared in Harper’s, Dissent, and The New York Times), he’s also brutally honest about his work as white western volunteer living in an African village, acknowledging the inherent problems and paradoxes....less...more
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Feb 04, 2009

Lsexton rated it

"Living Poor" is Thomsen's chronicle of how, in middle life, after failing as a farmer, he became a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador. Perhaps because he was in one of the poorest regions in the world, battling hunger, poverty, and ignorance, his memoirs have no middle ground: his experiences are either hilarious or deeply sad.

Not only does Thomsen relate what is going on around him, he also has an analysis of what is going on inside himself. He marks his own transformation ...more

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Jul 20, 2009

Marni Ginther rated it

Probably the most interesting thing I've done all day is Google Moritz Thomsen, this book's vivacious, troubled, sharply eloquent author. I'm obsessed. This man is so interesting to me.
Having lived and volunteered (albeit for only about a month) in a tiny Ecuadorean farming cooperative, this book meant a lot to me. Even though my time there was about three years ago, I look back on it with a hazy mixture of pride and embarrassment for how much I thought I knew about the world and how much...moreProbably the most interesting thing I've done all day is Google Moritz Thomsen, this book's vivacious, troubled, sharply eloquent author. I'm obsessed. This man is so interesting to me.
Having lived and volunteered (albeit for only about a month) in a tiny Ecuadorean farming cooperative, this book meant a lot to me. Even though my time there was about three years ago, I look back on it with a hazy mixture of pride and embarrassment for how much I thought I knew about the world and how much I thought I knew about myself. I'm still sorting through that chapter of my life; still learning from it.
In this book, you basically hang out inside Thomsen's head throughout his three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rio Verde, Ecuador, and his words are like a lens that brought a lot of my own thoughts into focus. He sets out to do something beautiful and noble, only to realize that the goal he's working toward doesn't even necessarily exist. After all, what does it really mean to "make a difference?"
He recounts all the small triumphs--when the chickens finally lay eggs, when townspeople finally band together as a cooperative--with genuine joy. Then a few pages later the chickens get cholera and a petty argument nearly destroys what little camaraderie he's been able to foster within the town. And you are crushed. You hurt for Thomsen and for the people of Rio Verde. Then the whole cycle happens again and again.
All these peaks and valleys are illuminated by Thomsen's gift for capturing the universal humanity in the people around him, and also foreignness of their poverty. He shows Ramon, Wai, Alexandro and all the rest as good people and bad people, devious and dull, selfish and self-sacrificing and full of an endurance that people like Thomsen and us can never comprehend. Because we weren't born poor.
More importantly, he doesn't romanticize this endurance. And he never gives up his endeavor to understand it and effect small changes that might render it less necessary, if not for people like Ramon, then maybe for his baby, Martita. Thomson never did leave Ecuador after his tenure in the Peace Corps. He stayed and wrote several more books and died at 75 of cholera.
I know this doesn't sound like cheery read. But there's a lot of humor and charm in the book too. The prose is peppered with great Ecuadorean slang; the imagery (as far as I can tell from my personal experience) is vivid and spot-on. And more than his disappointments, desperation and rage against poverty, what really shines through is Thomsen's zeal for what he's doing. Building chicken houses. Clearing land with machetes. Drinking and dancing with the locals during Semana Santa. Eating bananas because that's literally all there is to eat. Furiously and unsuccessfully trying to convince parents to bring their sick babies to a doctor. He's living poor. And he's written it all down, so we don't have to.
DISCLAIMER: Don't take my rating as a recommendation. If you don't share my fondness for Ecuador, South America in general, agriculture, or the idea of the Peace Corps, then you might find the book on the boring side.
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Nov 18, 2011

Gwyn rated it

Living Poor is the moving, inspirational, and heartbreaking story of a Peace Corps volunteer who spent four years trying to make a small, poor Ecuadorian town a better place... and failed. Thomsen arrived in Ecuador a freshly-minted volunteer already half-broken by the Peace Corps training, feeling unprepared for the job ahead and knowing only a little Spanish--most memorably, "Los alumnos llegan a la puerta"--but nonetheless full of enthusiasm for his mission.

After his firs...more

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Jul 13, 2009

Hannah rated it

I gave this book 5 stars not because it was necessary 5 star quality, but its relevance and importance to me definitely earns it 5 stars. And the writing is good - Thomsen even had me chuckling out loud at times in response to his dry, witty sense of humor. But more than that, this book is an amazing glimpse into what being in the Peace Corps could mean. Not what it will - Thompsen shows readers that every Corps member's experience is different - but what anyone joining the Peace Corps should th...more

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Sep 30, 2011

Christie rated it

Shelves: nonfiction, travel, america-latina, would-read-again, own

Perhaps because I have both spent time in Ecuador and am currently working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, I really enjoyed reading this book. The best part of this book was undoubtedly learning about the people themselves and following their lives through Thomsen's service. Reading this book, you will meet a wide cast of characters, both tragic and comical, and will finish wishing to know more about them. How did Ramon, Ester and their baby end up? Did the town escape their constant hu...more

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Oct 21, 2011

Mr. Pilsener rated it

Shelves: cultural

My one year experience as a WorldTeach volunteer in Quito ('99-'00), and two subsequent years working in sales, also in Quito ('00'-'02), were a much different experience than the author had in Rio Verde. He truly lived with the people in a much more humbling environment than I did. I had my humbling experiences in Ecuador, but nothing like this guy did for that long.

It's interesting to note some of the similarities between what the author describes in the mid '60s and wh...more My one year experience as a WorldTeach volunteer in Quito ('99-'00), and two subsequent years working in sales, also in Quito ('00'-'02), were a much different experience than the author had in Rio Verde. He truly lived with the people in a much more humbling environment than I did. I had my humbling experiences in Ecuador, but nothing like this guy did for that long.

It's interesting to note some of the similarities between what the author describes in the mid '60s and what I had 35+ years later in Ecuador from '99-'02. For example, the immediate rivalry of the Sierra vs. the Coast; people at parties (at a tiny venue, like a salon!) sharing a bottle of liquor or beer in small glasses; the crazy bus rides; the cheap cost of living; the many different cultures in the small country (The closest I've been to Rio Verde is Atacames, in the Esmeraldas province); the brujas and myths; the discovery of the meaningless term "Ya mismo"; and of course, the frustrations of a gringo in a 3rd World Country.

At the beginning, I thought it moved a little slow and got tired of hearing about chickens during the first part. Then it picked up and got more interesting and at the end, I realized that book was essentially a chronicle of the experience itself, much as I wrote almost daily from September '99 to June '00. At times it's easy reading & interesting and other times it's rather boring, but again, that underscores what it was like for Thomsen, as a Peace Corps volunteer.

In Part III, the readers feels a real sensation of frustration with the people of the town, as Thomsen tries to start the cooperative. It really must have been tough, getting people to lift themselves out of poverty and teach them to work together. Getting people to work together is one of the hardest things I know; getting people to work together to lift themselves out of poverty has got to be even harder.

One of my favorite passages in the book:

"..I was making a hundred dollars a month. My hunger was in varying degrees experimental and masochistic, and resulted from laziness, bad planning, and affectation. I was like a six-year-old kid playing doctor; I just wanted to see what it was like. But projecting my own lethargy, exhaustion, and mental depression onto my friends, who weren't playing and who went through this seasonal hunger every year of their lives, I began to see in them such qualities of heroism and endurance, such a wild and savage strength, that it about broke my heart with pride for them. Poverty isn't just hunger; it is many interlocking things--ignorance and exhaustion, underproduction, disease, and fear. It is glutted export markets, sharp, unscrupulous middlemen, a lack of knowledge about the fundamental aspects of agriculture. It is the witchcraft of your grandfather spreading its values on your life. It is a dozen irrational Latin qualities, like your fear of making more of your life than your neighbor and thereby gaining his contempt for being overly ambitious. There is no single way to smash out and be freed. A man has to break out in a dozen places at once. Most important, perhaps, he should start breaking out before he is six years old, for by then a typical child of poverty in a tropical nation is probably crippled by protein starvation, his brain dulled and his insides eaten up by worms and amoebas. No, more brutally true: if he is a typical child, an average child, by six he is dead."

Another interesting passage:

"The women of Ecuador lived in the other room; they appeared when it was time to serve you; they were very much the property of their men...Ecuadorian women were not trained to be companions nor did they know how to carry on a conversation.."(less)

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Apr 26, 2011

Kate rated it

Shelves: graduate-school-reading

At times I was appalled by his racism, his use of DDT and his selfishness. However, this book was written in the 1960's which would explain a little bit about the first two. I liked the fact he was only human and he told a compelling story, hitting on several key points of the unique Peace Corps experience. However, i did not come away from this book with a strong sense of place. His descriptions of the village were sparse and needed more details for those of us who have never been to equado...more

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Mar 24, 2010

Jim rated it

I wanted this book to be a fine read, but it did not happen. The author chronicles his time in the Peace Corps living - and trying to make a small difference -- in Ecuador. Unfortunately, the author repeats the same theme time and again--so and so begged for money, so and so sold his chickens, so and so got drunk, etc. It was getting difficult to keep reading, so I gave up about 3/4 of the way through the book. If there is a payoff, I didn't get to it.

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Jan 01, 2009

Melissa rated it

This was an interesting book, though pretty depressing overall. It was remarkable in that the author joined the Peace Corp at age 48 in the 60s--unusual then, I think. He also stayed in a small village in Ecuador for 4 years. I wondered why and it would be interesting to know what life is like there now--both unanswered questions. It does provide a very realistic view of what poverty feels like, up close and personal.

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Jun 15, 2011

Dale rated it

Quite possibly my favorite book of all time. California farmer, in the autumn of his life, joins the Peace Corps and goes to coastal Ecuador to teach farming. Poverty, humor, cross cultural differences, and the author's own growth and self exploration, all occur in front of a kaleidoscopic backdrop of color, texture, and exhausting jungle humidity. Read book more than once.

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Jun 28, 2010

Betsy Clark rated it

A book written by a returned PCV who came to Ecuador in the 60´s. Man life was different then. I´m pretty happy that I didn´t read this before I came. Ecuador in the 60´s is a whole different world than Ibarra in the 2010´s.

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Mar 13, 2011

Dana rated it

Solid book in the Peace Corps Memoir genre. I only read a little more than half of it before I had to return it to the library, so I'm considering it "stalled-out-on". I had some difficulty keeping the cast of characters set in my mind, but overall found the setting interesting. A big concern I had was that he invested himself so heavily financially in the community. Risky in several ways to be lending money to people, regardless of your motives. It does lead to jealousies and problems...more

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Jul 07, 2011

Amy rated it

Fascinating read, to think what it would be like to drop everything and join the peace corps later in life. And a great introduction to Ecuador before my trip.

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Apr 12, 2010

Shanyn Money rated it

The definitive Peace Corp experience in the 60's. Thomsen writes in a personal/political style similar to Edward Abbey.

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Aug 25, 2009

Matt Roth rated it

This is what the peace corps is like, but he left out all the parts about getting togeather with other volunteers.

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Nov 18, 2007

Megan rated it

I loved Thomsen's humorous style. Surprisingly, thanks to his honest and frank opinions about his experiences in Ecuador, I became frighteningly attached to the people and the story, so moving were his words. Most of the story was emotionally frustrating, but there were two events (for me) that moved me to the extreme -- one made me so angry, the other made me deeply sad. I wouldn't tell anyone not to pick up this book, even if they only want a 'happy' read -- it's something I think everyone s...more

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Nov 01, 2007

Joey Coleman rated it

I went into this book with reservations, both regarding the Peace Corps and the book itself. Nonetheless, I took the recommendation of a friend and came away impressed. This is much more than simply a "Peace Corps memoir" and it pains me that it has Peace Corps written right there on the cover. Thomsen´s writing is dry, humorouus, straightforward and insightful. He readily admits his own failures along with his frustration and anger with those very people whom he is trying to help ...more

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Jul 15, 2010

Sami rated it

Recommends it for: current and potential volunteers

I would recommend this to any current or incoming volunteers. A very simple read. Although much has changed, training, placement etc, since this book was written the essence is still the same. I read it during my first 4 months of service and could definitely still relate to many of the sentiments and feelings the author expressed.

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Jan 11, 2012

Robin Al-haddad rated it

Although the book wasn't a page-turner, it was a good account of Peace Corps life and how many of our projects don't always succeed. Being a PCV currently serving in South Africa, I enjoyed reading about how Peace Corps life then was different and sometimes similar to today. This book took place in the 60's and it is amazing how many things in Peace Corps service have not changed at all while other things are very different.

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Dec 27, 2011

Wealhtheow rated it

Shelves: historical, pocmaincharacters

A US farmer volunteers to live and work in a desperately poor village in Ecuador. He utterly avoids sentimentality or rose-colored glasses. The villagers are barely surviving because of utterly unfair policies, and he never lets us forget that, no matter how many amusing anecdotes he tells.

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Feb 25, 2009

Jennifer rated it

Terrific story - recollections of being in the Peace Corps in the mid 60s; the impoverished underdogs of the world and how they are systematically kept in ignorance - it all rings true today. But the writing is great - funny, witty and very entertaining, for all the dark underbelly.

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Jun 09, 2009

Marlies rated it

I admit I did appreciate this book more because of being in Ecuador, but Moritz is a great writer. He does a fabulous job of describing the arrogance outsiders have in "helping" others. Frustrations, joys, questions - I really enjoyed it and will seek out more of his books to read.

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Mar 28, 2011

Chloe rated it

Surprisingly readable! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Moritz Thomsen is a fantastic writer. Definitely required reading for anyone thinking about going into the Peace Corps.

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Mar 18, 2011

MichelleMarie rated it

everynight when I read this before sleep it made me appreciate EVERY LITTLE thing I could possibly own!! this was really poverty. I didn't care for the author himself but when he wasn't talking about his own thoughts I was okay with it.

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Jun 02, 2008

Aaron rated it

No matter where in the world you serve, there seem to always be similarities in the Peace Corps experience. I read this at the beginning of my service and related so much. I would like to go back and read again now, after my service.

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Mar 01, 2008

Miles rated it

I read this while in the Peace Corps in Ecuador and it was highly entertaining to draw connections and appreciate the hardships of the job. Nice look at old school Peace Corps, development, and also Ecuadorian culture. BOOM

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Jun 15, 2011

Marsha rated it

Shelves: memoir, rec-by-nancy-pearl

Excellent

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May 14, 2011

Kyle rated it

Shelves: 2011-reads

Really enjoyed this novel and flew through it. He is quite the observer of human nature, and I really enjoy how he builds each character amid building his own character in the book.

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Oct 30, 2007

Gerry rated it

Anyone considering doing sustainable development work or the Peace Corps should read this book. I'm not sure if it is in print still, but it's definitely worth getting!

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