Finding Miss Fong

What a lovely read! James Wolter was a Peace Corp volunteer in the 1960s in Malaya...young, hopeful and perhaps, a bit naive, Mr. Wolters enters the Peace Corp to change the world as a science teacher in post-colonial Malaya. Upon arrival, he becomes disillusioned after being placed in a school where he's expected to teach subjects he's not qualified for. He is ready to end his volunteer experience when he meets Miss Fong. While this is about his experience as a Peace Corp volunteer, it's more about his experience in falling in love. What is it like to fall in love with someone from a different country, culture, and can they make it work?!?!! This is a really sweet, heart-warming story that is really encouraging in todays world! I was given an advanced reader copy for my opinion on this book, and I recommend it for those who want to read about the Peace Corp, a nice love story, life in post-colonial malaya, or for someone who is just looking for something new and different to read! Everyone has a story to share, and I enjoyed very much reading Mr. Wolters story!

Reading “Finding Miss Fong” reminded me so much of when I first started working. We had Peace Corps volunteers! James A. Wolter’s story of his time in Malaya as a Peace Corp volunteer brought back fond memories and made me realize how much I value their contributions. I chuckled at some of the funny incidents he relates especially that time when he was told he was to teach ugama! My, how times have changed.

This book is more about his love story with Miss Fong though. It’s sweet but I found myself losing interest most times. What kept me reading was perhaps my wanting to find out whether he got to keep Miss Fong after having found her. Also, it was interesting to read about the ways and cultures of the community back then, and to compare it with how it is today.

In my opinion, this book would be good for the collections of libraries and history buffs especially where this narrative took place - mostly Terengganu and Penang.