Back before cell phones, computers, e-mail, and even bridges in the Chitwan Valley in Nepal, Nancy Axinn and her husband worked with agricultural education programs. "From the Foothills of the Himalayas "is written upon reflection of the notes and letters Axinn penned from 1976 to 1978 while living in rural Nepal.

Axinn's small notebook was never out of reach as she traveled in Nepal. Setting off on nearby roads, Axinn climbed steep mountain trails, often wading through rivers to reach the remote schools where she coached prospective teachers of agriculture. Contact with the outside world...