On Writing Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War
“Don’t speak. Just listen. Grab the kids and an overnight bag. Be ready in ten minutes. My husband was calling from his office at the American Embassy. No time to ask questions. Not safe to ask.”
Those are the first words I wrote, a memory seared into my brain. I had never intended to write a book. But after my husband’s death, I found in one drawer of his filing cabinets the details of our two years in West Africa where Carl worked to eradicate smallpox and our family lived life on a tightrope in a brutal dictatorship. I have letters, reports to CDC, cable traffic, State Department documents (all unclassified you understand), plus audio tapes and 8mm film. Historic documents!
It seemed impossible we had really lived that life. And yet, I had the evidence. So you see, I had no choice but to write our story. No time to lose. Family and friends had been fascinated by the letters I sent home from Africa and said I should write a book, so I must be a natural. Right? Confident in my cleverness, I wrote. The brilliant phrases just poured forth and lit up the page.
Newbie Writer
Smug, eager to bask in adulation from my son, a terrific writer, I ceremoniously placed my first chapter pages in his hands. As he read, I watched his face expectantly. Finally, I said, “This is when you say, ‘Wow, Mom!’” He replied, “I thought you wanted my help.” Ha! That boy has such a sense of humor.
But I did need help. It turns out those phrases that felt so effortless were weighed down by passive voice, five-dollar words, literary cliches and adjective-laden prose. I’d written clinical reports my whole career and knew nothing about creative writing. I connected with a mentor. I attended free and low-cost workshops. I joined critique groups. I became a student of university seminars, author interviews and panel discussions on YouTube. I read highly acclaimed memoirs.
I developed a routine. Mornings—I wrote while the ideas were fresh. Afternoons—I soaked up books and webinars about writing. Evenings—I read great writing.
. . .And Nothing. But the Truth
Because I determined that my historical memoir would be as true as I could make it, I grabbed a copy of You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. Author Lee Gutkind, widely known as the father of creative nonfiction, defines the genre as true stories well told. It uses literary craft, techniques used in fiction, but must still work within the realm of the truth as closely as the writer can remember or confirm it.
Vaccines & Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War is not a BOTS – “Based on a true story.” It is a true story. I used my own extensive archives plus external research to confirm my memories. No individual character in my memoir is a “based-on” character. And my only use of composite characters is in a crowd or background where I have a memory only of an overall impression of an incidental character. I state this in my preface.
What about sensory details? And dialogue? Even though no writer can exactly remember these details, it’s permissible to recreate them to capture the essence of what happened to the best of one’s ability. In my case, it helped to ponder a relevant photo, mentally placing myself back in the scene, or I’d find in another author’s Africa memoir, mention of a certain smell that triggered a memory for me. Dialogue was taken verbatim from conversations recorded in letters written at the time, or was recreated as closely as I could remember it based on reported interactions.
What were the emotions in a scene? Or what would they have been given the specifics I can recall or confirm? Any physical reactions? I knew well my husband’s habits so I could truthfully write, for example, “Carl arched one eyebrow,” to convey mistrust.
What about use of real names? Much has been written about this issue for memoirists. Sometimes it’s desirable, or even critical, to change names for the sake of privacy or safety. I did this for two people in my book in order not to put them in danger, so I was obligated to let the reader know in my preface or state it clearly in the text.
In this truth-telling business, outside sources were invaluable to me. Some corroborated my own archives. Some revealed “the rest of the story” of an event I had lived through. Some held revelations of aspects of international intrigue I had known nothing about at the time we were in the middle of it. Even the hints that had been there all along had sailed over the head of this small-town girl.
Never, Never Give Up
I had all this and much, much more to learn! Much more to do! When I let out a giddy, “This is such an exciting dayyy,” when the first edit was finished, my mentor said to me, “I guess it is. I was just thinking you have miles to go before you sleep.” She was right! But it’s worth it all when I see my book, Ebook and audiobook out there in the world.
Whatever you’re writing, don’t give up. I worked seven years on my book. Maybe it will take you a few years to write yours. But think of the thrill of such a significant accomplishment, of holding in your hands your own words, your own book! You might as well do it. The time will pass, either way.
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Bee Bloeser has lived in Africa, the Middle East and Native American nations in support of her late husband’s public health work and in her own career as a speech-language pathologist. A sought-after public speaker, she is the author of the award-winning historical memoir, VACCINES & BAYONETS: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War. She enjoys travel and spending time with her family, church family and friends. She promotes water wells for Africa with her book and her talks.
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Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War
Step into the heart of a turbulent era with a gripping historical memoir that chronicles one woman’s extraordinary journey in Africa. In this vivid recounting—which one Pulitzer nominee says, “reads like a political thriller, women’s history, and African adventure rolled into one,”—Bee Bloeser unveils the raw reality of her family’s part in the mission to eradicate smallpox, revealing triumphs and trials faced along the way.
As a young wife with two young children, Bloeser follows her husband, Carl, to Africa, driven by ideals and a sense of duty. In Nigeria she witnesses the roots and ravages of civil war and the horrors of smallpox and leprosy, yet finds beauty in the vibrant local culture.
In Equatorial Guinea, a nation newly independent but plagued by the terror of a brutal dictatorship, secrecy shrouds the people, and Bloeser confronts a world far removed from her idealistic expectations. Forbidden from interacting with locals and surrounded by oppression and suspicion, she documents her experiences in hidden notes, capturing the essence of a desperate struggle.
Through her eyes, readers experience the intense battle against a relentless virus and against tyranny. This Amazon #1 Bestselling memoir is a story of medical triumph but also a poignant reflection on humanity’s capacity for courage—the indomitable spirit of those who risk everything for a better future.
BUY THE BOOK HERE
AUDIOBOOK https://books2read.com/u/mVPR1r
Category: On Writing
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