Reader's Guide

By Julie R. Dargis

The Reader's Guide for "Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa" includes questions for use in book clubs and classrooms to promote active discussion based on an expanded world view.
An interview with the author provides insight into the independent publishing process. Updates from specialists in the field allow readers to consider the historical context of the essays and verse included in the book from a fresh perspective.
The "Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa" Reader's Guide also includes a recommended reading list, informative links and other resources for readers interested in humanitarian issues.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julie R. Dargis
• Release date: Aug 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301832316

Julie R. Dargis

Julie R. Dargis is based in Carlsbad, CA. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, and later spent over fifteen years working in Central Africa and Eastern Europe with populations affected by war and natural disaster. For many years, she was a humanitarian aid worker in some of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world. Julie's current healing practice includes oracle card readings, energy healing, and writing prompts to promote self-directed, soul-based healing. Her newest book, "White Moon in a Powder Blue Sky" is a collection of poetry and prose with "thought experiments" in quantum physics, the role of consciousness, and the presence of spirit in our multidimensional world. An oracle card deck of the same name will be released in September 2016. "Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa" is a collection of personal essays and verse, mainly sonnets, which the author began writing when she was a Peace Corps volunteer. The book depicts the life and times of the author and the many people she met and worked with in Morocco, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Ireland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Sudan (Darfur), South Sudan, and Somalia.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa enters the world of humanitarian aid work through one woman’s eyes. For over twenty years, Julie R. Dargis worked with populations affected by conflict in some of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world. She began her career with the US Peace Corps. She continued her work in countries deeply affected by war. In her stories and verse, Dargis works with local communities to bring clean water, basic health care, and education to some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. An honest and moving account of life in war-torn nations, Dargis tells of the aftermath of trauma with a spirit and conviction that inspires.

From Morocco to Serbia, Rwanda to Cote d'Ivoire, Congo to South Sudan, Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa recounts stories of war-affected populations rebuilding their lives with unbreakable spirit. Dargis depicts life overseas in the face of adversity with stories that offer a front row view of life in the field. Readers travel with Dargis as she flies on single engine aircraft over dense forests and travels with her colleagues through arid deserts on makeshift roads. Through her travels, the reality of living in some of the most dangerous and insecure countries in the world is demystified.

In this Reader’s Guide, the author has included topics and questions to stimulate discussion and debate by book club members and students alike. To allow readers to consider the historical context of the essays and verse from a fresh viewpoint, the guide also includes updates by international specialists and colleagues working at the community level to rebuild war-torn communities after years of conflict.

A recommended reading list for people interested in humanitarian issues, useful links, and other resources for humanitarian aid workers, are also included.

This guide is intended to be a companion piece to the book Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa. The purpose of the guide is to both aid readers to better understand the author’s choices and expand upon the background and historical context surrounding the global issues discussed within the chapters.

www.PitStopintheParisofAfrica.com

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

As a child, the author is branded by her mother as a difficult child. How does this experience affect her work with children throughout her career? What is her connection with children who have been either thrust into an adult world and/or who take on adult roles at a young age?

The first time that the author returns home to the US, she