The Mourning of Angels

To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Peace Corps, Taylor Edmisten takes the reader to the heart of the majestic Andes. Young, Jesuit-educated Lydia Schaefer is one of the first from Milwaukee to become a volunteer. The poverty, political violence, and machismo she encounters in Peru force her to question her belief system. It is Rafael Serrano, a mixed-race medical doctor, and his mother Teresa, a wise woman and midwife, who teach Lydia about the indomitable spirit of the Andean people. In the mountains of Peru, Lydia endures blows that test her courage and will to live Although she gains wisdom, she sacrifices much before returning home.