Monday 11 September 2017

Service Disrupted by Tyler E. Lloyd


Service Disrupted: My Peace Corps Story by Tyler E. Lloyd
Published by Lloyd Media on the 4th August 2017.

How I got this book:
Took advantage of a free Amazon download promotion

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Giving over two years of your life as a Peace Corps Volunteer is admirable, but giving up his life is more than Tyler Lloyd signed up for. Service Disrupted is an engaging memoir in which Tyler tells of his adventures and his eagerness to share his knowledge of gardening and agriculture with the kind and quirky villagers in Burkina Faso, Africa. But when he learns that his end of service medical exam showed a positive HIV test, Tyler’s mind becomes consumed with emotion, worry, and despair. The ups and downs will keep you reading to the end with a new respect for Peace Corps Volunteers and the African people. You’ll be both fascinated and saddened by the Sub-Saharan people who have become much more than a village to Tyler, as he awaits the answer to what his future holds.


I remember as a teenager looking into volunteering with the Peace Corps and being most disappointed to discover that only Americans were eligible to apply! Tyler Lloyd was one such American who spent his two years of service in Burkina Faso. He gives us a few glimpses into the country's life and culture, but this memoir is primarily a recounting of his mental turmoil following a health scare. I thought there was going to be more about the Burkinabe people and the Peace Corps projects Lloyd undertook whilst overseas. (If you are looking for such a memoir then this probably isn't the book for you.) However it is an interesting insight into the reactions of a young man potentially afflicted with a terminal illness, especially the Schrodinger's Cat situation he endures whilst awaiting further tests and a definite prognosis.

Lloyd expresses his emotions well and isn't afraid to portray himself in a negative light which makes for a particularly engaging memoir. I would be interested in an epilogue now, a few years down the line, to discover both whether the life statements he made during the traumatic three weeks ever came to fruition and the long term results of his Burkina Faso projects.

Etsy Find!
by Vintage Postage Shop in
Tennessee, USA

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Books by Tyler E. Lloyd / Biography and memoir / Books from America

2 comments:

  1. An interesting subject and I liked the book title. Like you I enjoy a book which delves further into the people of the country too.

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes travelling by book is more enjoyable than actually making the journeys!

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