Locust Years
Annals of a UN Wife

By Maureen McBain
February 2002
The Book Guild Ltd.
ISBN: 1-85776-641-5
111 pages, illustrated
$30.95 paperback

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The Locust Years is a beautifully observed picture of the Third World, seen through the eyes of a woman who spent most of her life in problem areas. Maureen McBain's life is hardly that of the average ex-pat. She married her husband in China in the middle of the revolution, then spent the next 40 years as a 'UN wife' accompanying him as he battled disease and malnutrition suffering the aftermath of war and famine. Maureen and her family were posted to countries such as India, Ethiopia and Korea, often without notice. But she relished the challenge of providing a home and bringing up her two sons in whatever conditions she found herself. With evident affection for the people she met and the countries she lived in, McBain recounts her experiences with humor and telling detail. This book also shows the 'other side' of the UN's role in far away countries, a role that is unfortunately becoming more important and necessary in the 21st century.

About the author:
Maureen McBain was brn and educated in Southend-On-Sea. She became a civil servant before joining the WRNS where she was awarded the Frontline Medal as well as the War Medal. In 1949 she married her husband Alan in Shanghai, where he was working for the International Refugee Organisation. For the next 40 years Maureen was a 'UN Wife' as Alan worked in humanitarian project (mostly UNICEF) around the world. She has published articles in magazines and contributed to many radio programmes. She now lives in Broadstairs, Kent.

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