Against the Current: How Albert Schweitzer Inspired a Young Man's Journey - Softcover

“Against the Current” recounts the African adventures of Mark Higgins, the 18-year-old scion of a New England industrial family who elects to pursue his own destiny rather than the one his father charted for him. In 1959 he postpones college, travels to West Africa, and becomes the first student staff member at the hospital run by Albert Schweitzer, the famous Nobel Peace Prize laureate, philosopher and medical missionary. The Schweitzer clinic is an intellectual crossroads for world-famous scholars, researchers and peace activists. It’s an eye-opening education for the young man. What’s more, the clinic is staffed by beautiful European nurses and a few handsome doctors whose personal lives sometimes become as heated as the equatorial climate. Higgins works as a handyman, trains to become a medical technician and helps treat lepers. He assists three cardiologists who make a break-through discovery. He lives among the natives, absorbs tribal culture and experiences life-changing events that build his self-confidence. After a year of hard work, Higgins leaves the Schweitzer hospital and embarks on a courageous solo journey across the African continent with Israel as his destination. As the emerging nations of Africa gain their freedom in 1960, the global balance of power is changing. Africa sits at the nexus of east-west contention, as well as being a cauldron of inter-tribal warfare. His travels take him deep into the Congo, where he will be out of contact for weeks. This thoroughly researched and richly detailed narrative describes a young man’s quest for authenticity and purpose at a time crucial to African independence. Mark Higgins leaves legacies that have a profound impact on society more than half a century later.

Clarinda Higgins holds a bachelor’s degree in Eastern Studies from Smith College and a master’s degree in education. She taught elementary school for 11 years and has worked as an environmental educator since 1986. She was recognized with the Gold Award by the National Science Teachers Association. She has traveled widely in third-world countries seeking authentic experiences and understanding. In working on this book she led a four-person two-week expedition through western Gabon. William G. Armstrong Jr., holds a degree in political science and journalism from Kent State University. He is a former writer for the Associated Press, assistant dean of the New York University graduate school of business, and worked for more than two decades as a senior public relations executive in New York. He served as a U.S. Navy public affairs officer for 30 years, retiring with the rank of Captain. He has written several specialty books.