Sumser, John. A land without time; a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan.SUMSER, John. A land without time; a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan. Academy Chicago. 205p. c2006. 0-89733-543-0. $17.95. SA When John Sumser became a Peace Corps volunteer in 1979, he had the good fortune to be stationed in Afghanistan during its last few months of independence before the Soviet Union invaded the country. Here is an eyewitness An individual who was present during an event and is called by a party in a lawsuit to testify as to what he or she observed. The state and Federal Rules of Evidence, which govern the admissibility of evidence in civil actions and criminal proceedings, impose requirements portrait of the backward mountainous region--a nation by courtesy only--just before it was moved to the center of the world's stage. Not that Sumser's account is in any way detailed enough to satisfy the really interested reader. For one thing, the author stayed only briefly in Kabul, and then lived in two remote villages for comparatively short periods of time. He did, however, manage to get himself detained de·tain tr.v. de·tained, de·tain·ing, de·tains 1. To keep from proceeding; delay or retard. 2. To keep in custody or temporary confinement: and roughed up by a mysterious group during the turmoil of the invasion. But all in all, this is less a book about Afghanistan than it is a sardonic sar·don·ic adj. Scornfully or cynically mocking. See Synonyms at sarcastic. [French sardonique, from Greek sardonios, alteration of sardanios. and self-conscious account of Sumser's days "in country." It is in fact a topical diary with few larger observations, save for one that turned out to be supremely ironic: after a few observations of the local police and militia, Sumser left the country convinced that Afghanis really could not fight very well. The author was never the stereotypical young Peace Corpsman corps·man n. 1. An enlisted person in the U.S. Navy or Marines who has been trained to give first aid and basic medical treatment, especially in combat situations. 2. eager to "understand" and improve his host country. He was a little older than most of his peers and had already spent time in Vietnam as an infantryman. While his book is full of interesting vignettes and character sketches, everything is seen through the eyes of a swaggering swag·ger v. swag·gered, swag·ger·ing, swag·gers v.intr. 1. To walk or conduct oneself with an insolent or arrogant air; strut. 2. To brag; boast. v.tr. young man still none too certain about his own life's direction. Raymond Puffer puffer, common name for some tropical marine fish of the family Tetraodontidae. The puffers and their allies, the boxfish, the porcupinefish, and the ocean sunfish or headfish, form an odd group (order Tetraodontiformes). , Ph.D., Historian, Edwards AFB AFB abbr. acid-fast bacillus AFB Acid-fast bacillus, also 1. Aflatoxin B 2. Aorto-femoral bypass , CA S--Recommended for senior high school students. A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. |
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