Outer Island: Peace Corps Tales from Micronesia, Chuuk, and Pulap

by Scott D. Smith, Tom Fitzpatrick (Illustrator)

Lovers of fine travel and adventure greatly enjoy Scott Smith’s exotic tale as a Peace Corps volunteer. Smith’s keen observations never lag in human interest as he confronts living on the edge of Pacific island paradise. It is a must read for island lovers, educators and anyone considering a journey to change the world or themselves. "A great writer. Reminds me of Pico Iyer." - Robert A. Mittelstaedt, former Peace Corps volunteer. A heart-warming memoir from a Peace Corps volunteer on the outer edge of Pacific island paradise. Scott D. Smith taught English in Micronesia and the Cook County Jail in Chicago. He worked as a reporter for newspapers and magazines and as a public health information officer.

178 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2019

Reviews

[Bill on GR Sabbatical · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad to give up the fight of fitting the western institution of school into that point in space where the sky hung like a dome and water swept around like a turning compass. The smallness of the land and the vastness of the sky made English grammar seem silly.

This account of the year the author spent teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer on the island of Pulap in the Federated States of Micronesia in the early 1990s was quite interesting. Smith is observant and sensitive to island social structure and culture, but less sure about his own life, as he continually struggles with whether to finish out his two-year Peace Corps hitch or return to his girlfriend back in Cleveland.