When the World Calls is the first complete and balanced look at the Peace Corps’s first fifty years. Revelatory and candid, journalist Stanley Meisler’s engaging narrative exposes Washington infighting, presidential influence, and the Volunteers’ unique struggles abroad. He deftly unpacks the complicated history with sharp analysis and memorable anecdotes, taking readers on a global trek starting with the historic first contingent of Volunteers to Ghana on August 30, 1961. In the years since, in spite of setbacks, the ethos of the Peace Corps has endured, largely due to the perseverance of the 200,000 Volunteers themselves, whose shared commitment to effect positive global change has been a constant in one of our most complex—and valued—institutions.

THE PEACE CORPS MAY BE “THE TOUGHEST JOB YOU’LL EVER LOVE,” BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN THAT THE HARD WAY. The Peace Corps Volunteer’s Handbook is both your guide and your companion. Learn from the experiences of outstanding former Volunteers, while cataloging your own experiences with the Peace Corps from the very beginning of your service to the end. Designed to be with you each step of the way—from applying to Peace Corps, starting your service, adjusting to your host country, and making your way home again—this handbook combines the best parts of a guidebook with all the creativity of a personal journal. This is the handbook every Peace Corps Volunteer wishes for, something no one has provided before—a chance to set down on paper all the amazing experiences the Peace Corps has to offer, right next to the memories of the Volunteers who came before. What are you waiting for?