7 Hours to Sofia: challenges and discoveries of a Peace Corps Volunteer, Louise Mae Hoffmann
Hoffmann makes a powerful point in this book about democracy. Bulgarians struggle to come to terms with their own freedom. After retiring from her career directing a college library, and serving as president of the New Mexico Library Association, she decides to volunteer for the PEACE CORPS. The book tells the story of her tour of duty.
Along the way, Hoffmann established a new public library in the city where she was teaching. She travels by train to many Bulgarian towns and cities. She visits the countries near Bulgaria with many friends, and shares letters from and to family members and friends in the U.S. She shares 24 wonderful Bulgarian recipes, which she prepared for students and friends who came to visit. The book reveals people and places we know very little about. Hoffmann is richer for her experiences in the Peace Corps and so are her readers.
Review :
-J.D. Radke, author of levon a (Bascom Hill Press, 2016)
"7 Hours to Sofia should be made into a movie to inspire America's retired baby boomers to keep on exploring the world around them, and to contribute more, not less, as we grow old. She sells the house and finds someone to take care of her beloved cats. Her keen description of place matches my own memories of Sofia and Varna from years back when I helped the Boy Scouts rebuild their organization in Bulgaria after the fall of the Soviet Union. Her ability to sympathize with the local children is beautiful, and while reading this book I can't help from longing there to be more American teachers and writers like Louise Mae Hoffmann."
-Lucy M. Brusic, writer and editor. Author, A Thread Through Time: History of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota
"Right off, Louise tells us how hard it was to learn the Bulgarian, language which is written with Cyrillic characters and has many letter combinations that do not roll easily off the American tongue. She also tells us about the various accommodations she had to make to Peace Corps rules. For example, PCVs are not allowed to drive a car in the country where they are working, so she had to learn an elaborate system of fast and slow trains to get around the country. She also walked alot. I think this book should be assigned reading for all Peace Corps volunteers and others who are going to teach or work in a place where English is not the native language. I think it would be helpful even to ESL teachers in this country, since it gives a feeling for the frustrations of learning a new language as an adult."
-Sharon D. Jenkins, Ph.D. Director of Library Services, Townsend Library NMSU Alamogordo
"Have you ever daydreamed about going on an Eastern European adventure? In 7 Hours to Sofia, you can without leaving the comforts of your coziest chair. 7 Hours to Sofia is the story of one intrepid older woman's adventurous quest to being a Peace Corps volunteer."
