Greetings from Jungleland

Author(s): Michael Fortner

Location(s): Togo

Genre(s): Autobiography/Memoirs

Era(s): Contemporary

Greetings from Jungleland is an unsentimental, entertaining memoir chronicling the quest of a young, privileged American who joins the Peace Corps to pursue his altruistic goals, dreams of adventure, and assimilation into another culture. Posted in the small, impoverished country of Togo, West Africa, Michael Fortner jumps with both feet into Togolese culture, community development work, and learning new languages, but quickly finds himself in over his head. He comes to rely on the hospitality and patience of the residents of Komlakopé and his new circle of friends to guide him through various cultural, language, and development barriers. Michael’s enlightening journey features bush taxis, mud huts, exotic foods, and a captivating cast of peasant farmers, village chiefs, public servants, voodoo priests, gun-toting gendarmes, expats, zealots, monkeys, Guinea worms, and goats — all composing the magnificent pageantry of life that is uniquely Togolese, yet common to all.

All proceeds from this book will be donated to Friends of Togo, an organization of returned Peace Corps Volunteers that funds community development projects like the ones described in the book.

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