Growing Mangos in the Desert

Transports readers to a profoundly different culture to leave a message about human experience and the deep inequalities that mark all of our lives.

Having joined the Peace Corps in 1984, the author winds up in a Mauritanian village during a catastrophic drought. There she forms an unusual partnership with Mamadou, a farmer from the slave caste, who has emerged as the village leader. Together the two bring astonishing change -- most of which has little hope of lasting.

Spanning four decades, this vivid and poignant memoir is filled with humor, unforgettable characters, gripping narrative, and political intrigue. Baird’s superbly-crafted storytelling illuminates how the collective human experience is shaped by the unique features of place.