A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps

This is not a review but just a notice that today is the release date for the new documentary A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps.

Full disclosure: I have a dog in this hunt! My son is currently overseas serving with the Peace Corps and so I’ve had a front row seat at the good work they do all around the world. Also we just passed the 60th anniversary of the death of the the Peace Corps’ founder John F. Kennedy. Its first director was his brother-in-law Sergeant Shriver (and father-in-law of this guy). Hence Maria Shriver is among the talking heads in the film, as are Jimmy Carter, Donna Shalala, and others, and it’s narrated by Annette Bening. Director Alana DeJoseph is a Peace Corps veteran herself.

I find the timing of the film fortuitous, with the international world order seemingly unraveling, and the U.S. struggling to retain global influence against the encroachment of China, and with a significant portion of the American electorate seemingly hell-bent on eviscerating everything good and decent the government is capable of doing. People clearly need aspirational messages and reminders about what is possible. The film is available via streaming and CD. More on A Towering Task, including the trailer, here.