Washington, D.C., October 31, 1997—Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan today declared November "Peace Corps Book Month" to celebrate the release of a new book of personal accounts of Peace Corps volunteers overseas. The book, Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, chronicles personal memories and anecdotes of Peace Corps volunteers spanning 36 years. The Peace Corps will hold 16 book readings around the country this month, in which authors will read from their essays. The first reading will be held Sunday, Nov. 2 in Seattle, followed by readings on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. and Thursday in nine cities across the country. Contributions to the book were made by more than two dozen returned Peace Corps volunteers, including Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran from 1962-64. Other well-known contributors include former President Jimmy Carter, whose mother, Miss Lillian, was a Peace Corps volunteer in India from 1967-69, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, whose son was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya from 1986-88. Today, nearly 6,500 Peace Corps volunteers are serving in 87 countries, working to help fight hunger, bring clean water to communities, teach children, start new small businesses, and prevent the spread of AIDS. Since 1961, more than 150,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps. The complete list of book readings follows. To obtain more information about the book, or the readings, call Peace Corps toll-free at 1-800-424-8580, option 1.
Sunday, November 2: "International Travel Day Expo," Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Pier 66, 2211 Alaskan Way, Seattle, 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, November 5: Barnes and Noble, Georgetown Center, 3040 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 6: Wildfour Cafe, 2527 11th Ave., Greeley, Colo., 3:30 pm Borders Books and Music, Clark and Diversey Streets, Chicago, 4 p.m. Expresso Royale Cafe, 324 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Mich., 7 p.m. Barnes and Noble, 1725 Arden Way, Sacramento, Calif., 7 p.m. Starbucks Coffee, Emory Village, 1569 North Decatur Road, Atlanta. 7 p.m. Borders Books and Music, 1715 North Rock Road, Wichita, Kansas, 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble, 612 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7 p.m. Teton County Library, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 7 p.m. Barnes and Noble, 235 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, New Hampshire, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 9: Borders Books and Music, 15260 LaGrange Road, Orland Park, Ill., 2 p.m.
Wednesday, November 12: University of Minnesota, 351 Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave, Minneapolis, Noon
Thursday, November 13: Borders Books and Music, 10720 Preston Road, Dallas, 7 p.m. Barnes and Noble, 10850 Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Stone Lion Bookstore, 107 North College Street, Fort Collins, Colo., 7 p.m.
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