It is often said that the art of letter writing has disappeared in our high-tech age. But two women, roommates and best friends in college, devoted themselves to this "lost art" when one of them, Kate Montgomery, became a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Kenya, while Hilary Liftin sought her own post-college destiny in New York City. Their letters, brought together in Dear Exile, form a yearlong "conversation" that is candid and comforting, much like a personal encounter. The questions, discussion topics, and suggested reading list that follow invite you to join their conversation in your reading group, and to add your reflections on and opinions of some of the themes in the book.

Newly married and full of a desire to make the world a better place, Kate Montgomery and her husband, Dave, travel to Kenya where, after three months of language training and cultural studies, they move to various villages to teach high school. Their temporary homeland offers a breathtaking landscape of volcanic mountains, grassy plains, and the occasional free-roaming wild animal--but also an initiation into a way of life steeped in poverty and frightening unsanitary conditions, a world in which their dedication to teaching is eroded and finally destroyed by the corruption of officials, the indifference of fellow teachers, and the explosive anger of students deprived of the basic educational tools--books, paper, and safe, sound classrooms.

Hilary Liftin is a traveler of sorts, too, but in much more familiar territory. In New York City trying to find a suitable job, a decent place to live, and a companion both loving and lovable, Hilary finds the blessings of twenty-something independence decidedly mixed. A career path, she discovers, demands learning how to strike a balance between politics and productivity. Her search for a home introduces her to grown-up responsibilities like renovations and mortgages--and exposes her to more than she wants to know about the realities of her New York City neighbors. And Hilary's love life is far from perfect. From an old friend who just could be "the one" to a once-rejected but still-tempting lover, and from a cyberspace stud to a very promising blind date, reality never quite lives up to Hilary's romantic expectations.

During their year of correspondence, Kate and Hilary struggle to make sense of their lives, sharing small comforts and asking big questions. Their letters suggest that we are all at times "exiles," whether we are crossing cultural boundaries or trying to forge an identity within a tangled network of friends and family.