Hope Dancing: Finding purpose and a place to serve among the Maya

by Leslie Baer Dinkel, Barbara Smythe, Betsey Binét (Illustrator)

The astounding true story of a young woman’s courage and persistence despite threats, extortion and her own kidnapping, to save lives during Guatemala’s brutal civil war and postwar, to establish a thriving help organization fueling the rural Maya’s struggle for self-reliance.


If you’ve ever despaired at the state of the world or doubted the power we each have to profoundly change lives for the better, you must read the story of how Leslie Baer Dinkel and a handful of like-minded friends changed the course of tens of thousands of lives in Guatemala.

Still reeling from the untimely death of a beloved mentor, Dinkel, 33, immersed herself in service to the homeless—many of whom spoke Spanish—and ended up in Guatemala to improve her modest Spanish skills. Landing in a war zone, she visited a refugee village and the horror she encountered upended her life. She promised impoverished villagers she would return with help, and over the next decade, delivered more than $3 million in emergency medical aid. With the generous help of a remarkable group of volunteers she assembled, Dinkel established a thriving help project offering life-saving health services, educational scholarships and more to those barely surviving in one of Guatemala’s worst poverty belts.

This intimate memoir recalls with wit and whimsy encounters with extraordinary people who guided her, including Mother Teresa, and the curious coincidences that led her to Guatemala. From identifying her first recruits to the extortion, perilous kidnappings, and other misadventures, you will become a participant in the daunting challenge of saving lives during a brutal civil war and forging hope in its aftermath. Hope Dancing: Finding purpose and a place to serve among the Maya offers tremendous insight into poverty, prejudice, the nature of self-determination, and especially, the transformational power of full-hearted giving. 100% of author proceeds are designated to charity. Each book purchased provides medicine to improve the lives of ten children.


IndieReader 5-Star Rated – “…sometimes harrowing, always thought-provoking…readers will not want this story to end.”

417 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2019

About the author

Leslie Baer Dinkel (August 1958--) is an American humanitarian, author, and singer-songwriter. Her latest book, Hope Dancing: Finding purpose and a place to serve among the Maya, is Top-Rated (5 stars) by IndieReader and has held #1 Rank on Amazon for Biographies of Social Activists and Central American Travel.

The only and adopted child of a middle-class family, she grew up in Anaheim, California, within earshot of the nightly Disneyland fireworks. Curious as to how others less fortunate lived, at age 15, she left home and moved to a critically underserved community a 30-minute drive from where she'd grown up. She soon began advocating for the poor. In the early 1990s she coordinated volunteers for the Los Angeles chapter of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity.

Leslie has composed and sung four music albums, and during her professional career produced the award-winning documentary film Yanomami: Keepers of the Flame, the long-running public radio program Earthwatch and other radio series. In parallel she has worked among Mayan populations in the Guatemalan highlands, and in 1992 founded the human development organization Local Hope (LocalHope.org), known in Guatemala as Xela AID Partnerships for Self Reliance. For her humanitarian work Leslie has been honored by the United States Congress, the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, as well as the County of Los Angeles, Soroptimist International, and Rotary.

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading is not easy for me as I struggle with a reading disorder. If a book doesn't grab my attention quickly I will put it down. Hope Dancing was so compelling, funny, sad, touching, passionate and insightful...it was a story I wanted to read.

The author did an amazing job of allowing me to see and feel what she saw and felt. The chapters are written in a chronology that helps to understand her journey peppered with side stories to emphasize the people and circumstances along the way.

The book touches on all your emotions. I laughed out loud and teared up several times. The story of four Guatemalan weavers putting bathing suits on for the first time made me laugh out loud. The chapter that ends with a volunteer taking her coveted Nike Michael Jordan tennis shoes off and putting them on a Guatemalan woman with no shoes had tears streaming down my face.

If you are looking for a story about how one person felt she had more to give and found her purpose; about a journey that had every reason to fail and didn't; about amazing volunteer doctors, nurses and civilians who worked tirelessly to make a difference; about taking a chance on a hard working, grateful people and the amazing results of one person's passion and vision to do more...this is the book for you.

[Pamela J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing. Great story. Great cause.
People who aspire to create an effective non-profit, philanthropists who seek insight into what makes a strong NGO, and any reader who enjoys an uplifting story will want to read this book. The people in Hope Dancing spring to life and it’s because the author cares. She cares deeply and without saying inspires the reader to care. The book does not feel methodical and yet there is a clear progression of information showing how the author found purpose in her life, to the events and what might be considered coincidences that led her to Guatemala, and to the sometimes rocky, sometimes miraculous development of Xela AID. Ms. Dinkel provides valuable information on how to build a grassroots idea into a fully functioning nonprofit with an exit plan. She illustrates the process of learning how to empower, not simply help.
What Ms. Dinkel perceives as lessons in perspective and gratitude become the reader’s own. By book’s end, we share her earnest desire to make the world a better place.

[Carlos De · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of hope and resilience in rural Guatemala

This book is a narrative of self-discovery embedded in a story of learning about the history of a country and its native peoples that led to life-changing events and, eventually, to an amazing humanitarian breakthrough. Heart-wrenching at times, inspirational always, sprinkled with humor and even music (Leslie is also an amazing composer/performer and links to some of her many songs are peppered throughout), some chapters read like fiction, but everything is true and amazing; others are filled with hope, persistence, stamina, and an amazing resilience to setbacks and difficulties. The book challenged me in many levels and my heart grew as I realized how many lives have been changed by the efforts of Leslie and the hundreds of volunteers that have joined her in her many trips, as well as the Guatemalans that have led the way in their own ways and unique means. Reading this book I realized that the rewards of service and love for people in need are the best reward one can hope.

[Justin Klarenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I was surprised by how compelling this story is: It became harder to put the book down the more I read. “Hope Dancing” an earnest and insightful true account of the Author’s (Leslie Baer Dinkel) experiences doing charity work with the poor: Primarily with the indigenous people of Guatemala who, when she first meets them, are in the midst of a 36 year civil war against a US backed regime. As die hard patriot, Ms Dinkel’s beliefs are challenged subsequent to her surviving a US Air Force helicopter attack while (clandestinely) visiting a refugee village. Month’s later she returns to Guatemala with 48 volunteers. This was the beginning of Xela Aid (aka Local Hope), an organization that’s touched thousands of lives (in both Guatemala and the US) over the three decades they’ve been doing service.

“Hope Dancing” feels a bit like a real life “Forest Gumpian” tale as the Author, armed with nothing but love, honesty and good intentions blindly maneuvers through encounters with corrupt officials, soldiers, kidnappers, rebels, pirates, diplomats, living saints and, most poignantly, making life and death decisions in terms of who, amongst the many in need, she is able to help. Despite her vast accomplishments, Ms. Dinkel’s story is all about those who inspired her. In the end what brought tears to my eyes (true) was not the amazing things she did, but how she did them and what she learned along the way. I was reminded that doing service is truly a covenant between equals and that those in need have much to teach those of us who are able to help. “Hope Dancing” is rich in human experience and understanding: I am grateful to the author for putting it all into words.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Dancing is a classic tale of the ‘Heroine’s Journey’, in this case within the spiritual realm of service to humanity.

Ms Baer Dinkel’s story is one of finding purpose in life and then pursuing it with the wholehearted determination of ones entire being. Following Christ’s admonition to ‘feed my sheep’ Leslie chose the jungles of Guatemala as her proving ground, or maybe providence and Guatemala chose her for the tall task at hand.

Like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object her strength of character and eternal resolve clears a path through a jungle of obstacles by one fortuitous, even miraculous event after another. A chance meeting with the right person at the right time with the right connections or resources to help make something happen, or to lend a hand or to rescue or assist at critical and dangerous moments that could’ve ended in disaster.

Hope Dancing reads like a great novel and I found that I had to remind myself at times that it is a true story that played out over the course of 20 plus years and continues to this day.

By her example and that of all the special people and players who have contributed to this cause, we are all invited to a higher calling of service to our fellow men and women. I am honored to have sponsored one of her students through his school years and will continue to support XELA Aid in the future.

Let me close with one of Leslie’s many observations on being of service to humanity; she writes: ‘I realized that in full hearted giving the line between giver and receiver vanishes and both lives are transformed...’

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fiancé and I read this book aloud to each other as we traveled cross country on vacation. It is just as engaging as any novel – really more so since it is true. The opening chapters set with gunfire during the Guatemalan civil war grab your attention immediately. The book is just as much a story of the author’s search for meaning for her life as it is a story of her work with the Mayan people in Guatemala. The book doesn’t just present the victories and ignore defeats and hard lessons. There is much joy and humor, too. We laughed out loud when she tried to describe the game of golf to some Mayan women who were visiting the U.S. They just could not imagine all that land being used for people to try to hit a little ball into a hole with sticks! I was also moved by her description of trying to intervene when a Guatemalan policeman was beating a women. Her Guatemalan friends literally pulled her away from the scene and one of them told her, “There are many things that can only be changed with time…especially not by an outsider who has spent little time here.” He went on to say, “Guatemala needs your help, but first, it needs your respect.” I was also touched by the story of the woman who would only sell her 40 bananas and no more. (You will just have to read the book.) You feel her frustration and passion and respect and courage and every other emotion imaginable as she recounts her journey. We loved this book.

[Jill Dobbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who lives in Latin America and has traveled to Guatemala, I greatly admired the humanitarian work that Leslie Baer Dinkel and her teams were involved in. Guatemala is a beautiful country with kind and selfless people who at that time, greatly needed and deserved help with their education, medical and housing. The author felt a calling to assist the Guatemalan people in those areas and she organized teams to travel there and do just that.

The writing was a bit slow for me at times, almost as if taken straight from her journals, however, I did find her various accounts of the many challenges they encountered interesting and dramatic. All in all, Hope Dancing is a good read that reminds readers of the humanitarian work that is already being done but is still needed around the world.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

[Catalina Flyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reminder of the goodness that is possible

This is a book about real everyday people who are making an important difference in other people’s lives. It occurred to me while reading it that if I had been born in a developing country, I could have suffered through some of the same indignities as the Mayan villagers in this book. One of my favorite stories is about Lucia and Maria, two women who are living in inhuman conditions. Their lives are changed by a few volunteers with two weeks to spare. It made me imagine all the positive changes there could be in the world if more people spent their summer vacations helping others, something high on my list. The book was for me a guide and a reminder of what’s possible with small acts of kindness. Inspiring. I read it in two sittings, couldn’t put it down. Recommend this book to anyone looking for a way to make a positive change in their life.

[Mara Holland]

"Hope Dancing" is a compelling and beautifully told story of one woman's journey to find her purpose in life. A journey that eventually leads her to the Maya people of Guatemala. I found myself reading well into the night as the book recounts the sometimes harrowing events the author experienced along the way to fulfill a promise of help to these people after seeing first hand the destruction and poverty brought on by civil war and discrimination.

In 1993, with the assistance of 48 volunteers gathered around her and a shipment of donated medicine, Leslie Baer Dinkel's story of Xela AID and it's first of many trips to making a difference in the lives of so many, began. I found it inspiring, that over the years despite pitfalls and set backs, so much has been accomplished to help the Maya towards a better future. One of self-reliance, not dependence. "Hope Dancing" is a reminder that with love, determination... and a guarding angle or two... anything is possible.

[Frank Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written book took me to the place I had allowed myself to forget, and to heal a wound I forgot that I was carrying. Hope Dancing summarizes the difficult times in the politically violent world of Guatemala’s civil war period that left unhealed wounds, yet leads the reader through the despair to the present day hope of healing. This resilient hope indwelling in the Maya people was fanned into flame by the persistent steps and actions of caring individuals who encouraged them to have a loud voice to sustain themselves. It lifts my soul!

[Oscar G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational book full of stories within the story. The author efficiently paints the picture as she not only educates us on historical events that have shaped Guatemala, a developing country — but also her many dramatic experiences that forced her to pull strength from within and remain focused on her mission, to deliver hope for the less fortunate. Each chapter takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. This book is a perfect read for those of us who are trying to find our purpose.

[April Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately transported to the highlands of Guatemala with Leslie’s words that painted a green landscape in my mind. I found everything I wanted in a good story such as adventure, love, history, self-discovery and enlightenment. What is more incredible, is that this story is true! I especially enjoyed reading about Jennifer receiving her prosthetic leg. At the end of her story she says “You gave me wings,” which is exactly how I felt after reading this book.

[Clivemichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring narrative

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly inspiring & uplifting! Hope Dancing shows that humanitarian aid is not merely sending things that could be easily diverted to or stolen by the wrong people; it requires empathy & respect to lead those in need to self-sufficiency. Too often, well-intentioned government organizations refuse to trust those they're trying to help & end up recolonizing them. This is a great primer on how to approach such an endeavor both mentally (i.e. attitude) & logistically. Of course, a little luck always helps. (On a side note, as someone whose 1st 9/11 was the death of Allende, I was quite disturbed that Nathanial Davis had paid a visit to the author. I had always wondered what had become of him, & this book filled me in.) I received a Kindle edition from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of GoodReads' First Reads program.

Hope Dancing tells the remarkable story of the author, who went to Guatemala to learn Spanish. While there, she witnesses a strafing from a military helicopter. As it leaves she sees to her horror that it an American military vehicle. Meeting many locals, she discovers that the indigenous people, who are Mayan, are living in conditions of poverty that are unimaginable to those from first world countries. After returning home, she feels the need to return and help the people with whatever aid she can. She manages to find medicines, which are destined to be thrown into a landfill because their expiration dates are close, surgical supplies, which are destined for the trash because they were in an operating room, even though they were never used or even removed from their packaging, and some people, include a few doctors, who are willing to donate their time to go with her to Guatemala to try to help as many people as they can. This remarkable group of people, and others she manages to recruit along the way, return year after year, helping a few hundred each year, and building an organization, called Xela AID, which continues to provide medical assistance, housing and education to the poorest of the poor. Very well written and hard to put down, I recommend this book to everyone. We all need to see how the things we take for granted can mean so much to other people in the world.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it was a wonderful book. The author runs an aid organization in Guatemala and she shares details about running the organization and the people she/they encounter. Some of the stories are humorous, some are heartbreaking, some are evening mind boggling, and some are just plane Jane boring. Parts of the book made me stop and ponder the ways of the world. (I received this book through the goodreads giveaway program.)