First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure Changed My Life

By Eve Brown-Waite

Book Overview

In this hilarious memoir, a pampered city girl falls head over little black heels in love with a Peace Corps poster boy and follows him--literally to the ends of the earth.

Eve Brown always thought she would join the Peace Corps someday, although she secretly worried about life without sushi, frothy coffee drinks and air conditioning. But with college diploma in hand, it was time to put up or shut up. So with some ambivalence she arrived at the Peace Corps office, sporting her best safari chic attire, to casually look into the steps one might take to become a global humanitarian, a la Angelina Jolie. But when Eve meets John, her dashing young Peace Corps recruiter, all her ambivalence flies out the window. She absolutely must join the Peace Corps and win John's heart in the process. After spending a year in the jungle in Ecuador, she runs back to the states, vowing to stay within easy reach of a decaf cappuccino for the rest of her days.

Just as she's getting reacquainted with the joys of toilet paper, John gets a job with CARE and Eve must decide if she's up for life in another third world outpost. Before you can say, "pass the malaria prophylaxis," the couple heads off to Uganda, and the fun really begins-- if you call having rats in your toilet fun. Fortunately, in Eve's case you certainly can, because to her, every experience is an adventure to embrace and the pages come alive with all of the poignant and uproarious details.

From intestinal parasites to getting caught in a civil war, culture clashes to unexpected friendships, First Comes Love, then Comes Malaria is an honest and laugh-out-loud look at Eve's misadventures as an aspiring do-gooder and her search for love and purpose, which she finds in the last place she expected.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767929365
• ISBN13: 9780767929363
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

I really liked this book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was a little sad for it to end. I enjoy reading about places I will never go and experiences I will never have. Eve Brown-Waite did an excellent job of taking you with her on her journeys and adventures. She did this with a great deal of humor. It is nice to know that 10% of the royalties will go organizations working on malaria prevention. To enjoy a book and help solve a world problem - what more could you ask from a book?

Great Fun

A funny thing happens at Eve Brown's interview for the Peace Corps - she falls in love with John, her recruiter. And after her time in Ecuador, she comes home and marries him. Of course, she never dreamed of the unlikely direction her life will take with him! Soon after their marriage he gets a job with CARE and is assigned to Uganda! And that's where the book really gets interesting. Uganda is certainly not the honeymoon capitol in the world now and it sure wasn't then. Electricity 3 hours a day (if they were lucky), no telephone, rebel bombings around the corner are just a few of the things they encounter. Shopping for food in an open air market takes some skill. Hint: you're better off to take the beef (its unwrapped, of course) with flies all over it and there's a very good reason for that. Along with all this,she goes through a very difficult pregnancy. Just getting the diagnosis was an achievement. There are funny parts (she has been compared in reviews to Erma Bombeck but I think Uganda would have tested even Erma's humor) such as her efforts to get a package before the Post Office closed. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. And there are frightening parts such as when the police officer who was guarding their house went berserk and threatened them and their dinner party guests with an AK-47! Eve Brown-Waite has a great website with pictures. She is definitely a person worth reading about. I hope she is writing a book about their next posting which was to be Uzbekistan.

From S. Krishna's Books

I first heard about First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria from The Debutante Ball, which is a grog (group blog) for a choice group of debut authors. I've always said that the Debs have never let me down; so far, they have introduced me to some amazing authors and incredible reads that I would have otherwise missed. Eve Brown-Waite's memoir was no exception. I loved everything about First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria. I adored the beautiful writing and engaging storyline. I loved the personalities described in the book, especially Eve. I enjoyed reading about the amazing experiences and adjustments to life in Ecuador and Ghana. This was one of those books that floored me - every single thing about it was absolutely perfect. First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria is a non-fiction memoir, but it reads like a novel. I was surprised at how easy it was to read, how quickly the pages went by, and how engaged I was in the storyline. The book never loses its forward momentum; the reader is always interested and incredibly eager to discover what life will throw at Eve next. Eve Brown-Waite's writing is clear, fluid, and captivating - I was completely charmed by this wonderful read. Eve herself is a wonderful character who is very easy to sympathize with. The author never tries to hide her motivations or hesitations when it came to her rough lifestyle. She is incredibly easy to trust and wonderfully funny. She is also an inspiration - though Eve Brown-Waite is humble about what she went through, her actions in the face of adversity, hardship, and extreme culture shock are incredible. She manages to adjust to situations that I don't think I ever could - but reading about her experiences makes me want to try. Eve Brown-Waite makes me feel like each of us is capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for, and can make a difference, no matter how insignificant we feel. Often in First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria, Eve is frustrated by not being able to help those around her. There simply isn't anything for her to do. But by the end of the book, Eve realizes that she has made a huge difference in the lives of those around her. Sometimes, the small things are what matter - you might not be able to change the world, but you can make a difference in a person's life. First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria was quite simply an amazing read. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book - it was fun, amusing, astonishing, and completely charming. I was hooked from the very first page. This is one of those books that should appeal to anyone and everyone because it has so much contained within its pages. The adventure and excitement, mixed with wonder and sweetness, coupled with the fact that it's a true story make this an exceptional story that shouldn't be missed. All I can say to Eve Brown-Waite is: can we get a sequel as soon as possible? [...]

Emotionally Authentic

The promotional blurb for this book promises that it will make readers laugh, and while there are definitely funny sections I didn't laugh out loud. I did, however, tear up at the end, when the author describes leaving the village in northern Uganda where she, her husband, and eventually their baby, had spent three years working for CARE. (The Africa assignment followed a year-long stint in Ecuador for the Peace Corps.) The power of this memoir is its apparent emotional authenticity and the effortless yet deeply felt language through which Eve Brown-Waite tells her story. By the time I had read through the book's 300 or so pages I shared a bit of her attachment to Uganda and the people she met there. What's more, I could perfectly understand the decision of the author and her husband to remain "in country" for an extended term of service, even though Uganda offered plenty of hardships, especially for Brown-Waite when she was pregnant with her first child. Not only was she ill with bacterial dysentery much of the time, but she also contracted malaria; hence the book's title. Near the end of her narrative, the author writes that, like malaria, Uganda will remain in her blood for the rest of her life, and you firmly believe her. This is an absorbing story about an idealistic young couple that wanted to make the world a better place. Not so remarkable, except that these two actually went off and did it. Don't miss First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria. And please do make a contribution to fight that disease, as the author suggests. She lists several good organizations to which you can donate in the Author's Note at the beginning of the book.