By Cat Urbigkit
Sublette Examiner
Sept. 7, 2006

Fans of the writings of Dr. William Close will be heartened by the news that the long-awaited release of his new book has now occurred.

Beyond the Storm: Treating the powerless and the powerful in Mobutu's Congo/Zaire is now hitting bookstores and is available for purchase from Close's Big Piney website as well. A national book promotion plan is in place for the book, and Close also plans book signings for the libraries and senior centers in both the Pinedale and Big Piney areas.

Close, a Big Piney resident, now has four titles to his book-publishing stable, and this is his second title that deals with his years as a medical professional in Africa. His first book, Ebola: Through the Eyes of the People, describes Close's time in Zaire during the first Ebola fever outbreak in the Congo, and his efforts to organize the scientific effort to control the epidemic. Close's account of the epidemic has been called "eloquent" and "gripping," which readers will soon find applies equally well to his newest volume, Beyond the Storm.

Close spent 16 years practicing medicine in Africa, arriving in the Congo just before independence and just in time for the mutinies and rebellions that marked the history of that country. His first year there, Close was responsible for surgery as one of only three doctors in the capital city's 2,000-bed hospital. He became chief doctor of the Congolese Army and personal physician to the Congo/Zaire President Mobutu Sese Seko.

Close was there by the president's side when Mobutu was the toast of every Western capital, but with power comes poison, and Mobutu eventually became an international pariah. Although rising to power from the depths of poverty, Mobutu turned his back on his people as he became more powerful and more corrupt. He dismissed Close from service when Close's bitingly truthful comments made Mobutu too uncomfortable. Instead, the dictator chose to surround himself with those who restrained their remarks to only those that echoed his own.

Close learned valuable lessons during his time in the Congo. The book provides a telling view of the suffering of poor and hungry natives, and includes an account of an incident in the 1960s that many in Sublette County now know left an unforgettable mark on the way Close practiced medicine thereafter. In the story, Close is called to the bedside of then Colonel Mobutu's great-aunt. Surrounded by her family as she lay on a cot, Close examined the woman and reported back to Mobutu that the woman was dying. Close was instructed to go back to the woman and sit with the family, as such an action provides great comfort. Close did so at that time, as he has been known to do so many more times throughout his career.

Beyond the Storm provides a behind-the-scenes view of an important part of African history, and includes varied narratives, including a charming account of Close taking his 80-year old mother for an airplane ride over the plains of Africa, with Close in the pilot seat. The episode is so vividly recounted in the book that the reader feels like a passenger on the plane.

After Close left Mobutu's side and eventually returned to the United States, Close did make several more trips back to Africa, encountering Mobutu again. Their final meeting took place in 1996. A year later, Mobutu would die alone and devoid of power.