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HomeAuthor ResourcesArticles and NewslettersSuccessful InterviewingGuatemala In My Blood: How Nursing In Remote Jungle Villages Revolutionized My Life |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 5 customer reviews )
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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Touching and inspiring true story Oct 13, 2009
By IslandReader
I was surprisingly moved by this book, as it wasn't something I would normally have chosen to read. Elizabeth Desimone exemplifies the selfless volunteer spirit that some Americans so willingly express. Her challenges in setting up the very first health care programs in very remote jungle villages were extreme, but she and her colleagues overcame them with inventiveness, grit, love and humor. In the process she fell in love with Guatemala and has maintained that bond to this day. This would be a wonderful book for anyone contemplating a nursing career, or a practicing health care professional, or people interested in the Peace Corps or other substantial volunteer opportunities. I was impressed over and over with her ability to cope with circumstances that most of us would run screaming from--but she stayed for years to help some of the neediest people in earth. Through it all, the warm spirit of the Guatemalan people shine brightly. Lots and lots of photos help to tell her story. Paints a vivid picture of rural life in Guatemala. Highly recommended.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Real Page-Turner Mar 10, 2010
By Catherine Alexander
Elizabeth Desimone has done a fine job in portraying her experience in Guatemala as an RN. This book is tender-hearted, harrowing, delightful and devastating, all at the same time.
It's been secret well-kept from me, her writing instructor. She just announced it one day in class. Finally she brought me a copy. I read it that very night.
I think anyone would benefit from reading this account of working in the jungles of Guatemala. Elizabeth brought her strong stomach to withstand the vagaries of a third-world country. She brought her empathy and selflessness to provide medical care to the Kek'chi people.
Guatemala in My Blood is well-written, full of lively photos and a lesson in survival for both the locals and the folks trying to help them.
Catherine Alexander
Author & Writing Instructor
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
It's inspiring what one person can do! Nov 24, 2009
By Rebecca Dare
First, full disclosure: I know Liz Desimone, the author of this book. She has been a lovable member of our little peace and justice group in a suburb of Seattle. I had no idea what this quiet woman had accomplished in her life. I only recently learned that she had written a book about her time in Guatemala. I was a little afraid to read a book by a friend, afraid I wouldn't like it. But I was wrong! Her book is wonderfully written -- I felt like I was in her life at that time all through the book. I was so moved by the courage and fortitude it took for her to (through extreme difficulty and a lot of funny human bumbling) co-create a health promoter program in that country, not to mention just helping a lot of people simply improve their lives even if a little. When she returned years later, she had the great joy of seeing the results of the work she'd done so many years before. This book moves very quickly and beautifully accompanied by photos she took at the time. There is nothing grandstanding about her work in this book -- Liz wrote from her heart and memories. I heartily recommend that you read this book!
Tradegy, Joy & Triumph Mar 17, 2010
By J. Matthew
I enjoyed this book very much!
The book is filled with courage, grace, love, humor and respect for the people of Guatemala and for human beings. You feel it as you read about the tremendous experience filled with tradegy, joy and triumph.
I feel enriched by knowing this story and the writer who I proudly say I have met.
 Must read for travel-workers in foreign country Jan 28, 2010
By Judy Schaefer
Elizabeth Desimone's memoir and nurse-work-travel account, GUATEMALA IN MY BLOOD (Travels in Guatemala Press, 2009), is filled with fear, faith, love, and culture. There is the impression that Desimone holds nothing back from the reader in this loving and sometimes horroring account of her nursing experience in Guatemala. The book is a must read for any nurse, doctor, or person planning to provide service in another country.
The account is 30 years from the actual experience and this is an advantage on one hand and a drawback on the other. While the reader will benefit from the literary distance and the wisdom of the writer's experience after the passing of time, the reader might remain uncertain as to how things are currently. But only a minimal drawback.
My impression is that there are not many books out there with this much detail about the experience. And photos galore! Superb background and visual documentation. The book is a remarkable accomplishment by a nurse writer who is willing and capable of telling an amazing narrative.
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