Rye Barcott

I really enjoyed this book - surprising to me because the last book I read about an American traveling to third world countries to "do good" was awful (don't read Ashley Judd's memoir)! Even though I grew up in a very mission-minded church, I had not heard of Kibera in Kenya and was glad to have the chance to learn more about Nairobi's slums. I found Rye Barcott's style very engaging and he did not spend too much time "tooting his own horn" but rather describing the people he met and bringing us alongside with caring about them.

One criticism I do have is that I would have liked to know more details about how he ended up in the Marines in the first place. He did spend a few pages talking about his upbringing but I couldn't quite put my finger on why the Marines instead of a non-profit. I did appreciate his internal struggles between his two responsibilities and maybe this book will encourage other men and women who have served in the armed forces and loved the country they served in, to return to it after the fact to make positive change.

**I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review**… (altro)

I am fascinated by books about how a single person can have a major impact on the work (Three Cups of Tea and Mountains beyond Mountains are favorites of mine). This books tells the story of the author and his work in Kibera, Kenya—one of the worst slums in the world. As an ROTC marine in college at UNC, he begins a program to help Kibera. Eventually, what he started grows and has a real impact. The book starts out great and really held my interest. The latter parts of the book, however, deal more with his disillusionment as he serves with the marines in Iraq. Though still interesting, it is not nearly as compelling. It took some effort to complete, but I felt it was worth doing so. This book is worth reading to understand what impact people, even young people can have if they are willing to make sacrifices and work hard.… (altro)

I am in awe of Rye Barcott and his book, "It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace. This memoir tells the story of Barcott , young college grad and soon to be a Marine and his fortuitous journey to Kiberra -- one of the worst slums in Africa. Barcott wanted to research ethnic violence. Once there, Barcott develops the nonprofit, Carolina for Kiberra with the whopping sum of 26 dollars! This memoir tells the duel story of the development of the nonprofit and its amazing accomplishments along with the development of Barcott as a Marine and the predicaments of keeping the two goals separate but equal. Barcott has told an amazing true story-- he gives me inspiration in our next generation.… (altro)