During this current season when travel isn’t happening, I’m thankful for books that still let me experience life somewhere else. One of my favorite ways to do that is through memoir. More than anything I appreciate seeing day-to-day life through the lens of another culture. Here is a round-up of memoirs about everyday life around the world.
Achtung Baby by Sara Zaske. As I mentioned in my January Reading Round-up, this is the author’s memoir of moving to Germany from the US and raising her children there. It’s part memoir and part parenting book, and Zaske gives both big-picture insights into what she’s learned about German parenting philosophy as well as day-to-day choices that she sees German parents make.
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. When Helen Russell’s husband is offered his dream job in Denmark, they uproot their lives in London and move to a rural Danish sea town. Upon learning that Denmark is the happiest country in the world, Russell makes it her goal to understand why, and to try to live more Danishly herself. Although the subject matter and country are different, I like the juxtaposition of big-picture view (in this case, why are Danish people so happy?) and day-to-day life that’s similar to what Zaske did in her memoir.
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman. The author is an American journalist who lives in Paris and eventually has a family there. Even before she has children of her own, she notices a marked difference between the norms of French and American child rearing. So much of what she learned about French parenting seems like common sense, but it was interesting to read and compare to what’s expected of parents in American culture. I read this a long time ago, but I think it would be interesting to read as a “book flight” with Achtung Baby to compare the two.
Wild Life by Keena Roberts. This is another story of an American living abroad, but this is from the child’s perspective. Roberts is the daughter of primatologists, and she spent most of her childhood in Botswana where her parents studied baboons. This is the story of her unique experience there, and also her struggle to fit in when she and her family traveled back to the US. What I like about Wild Life is that it does paint a picture of Roberts’ everyday life abroad, but her everyday life feels like more of an adventure than my most exciting vacation.
Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr. In this memoir, Doerr recounts the year he spent in Rome thanks to a writing award and stipend he received. A paid stay in Rome isn’t something you say no to, even when you’re a new father to twin boys. So Doerr, his wife, and his months-old twins leave the US and go to Rome for an unforgettable year-long adventure. I found this memoir to be the perfect mix of fascinating and relatable. Doerr describes his trips to the local market, visits to piazzas and ruins, and the palpable emotion in the city as Pope John Paul II became deathly ill. Yet this was more than a travel memoir. I found myself laughing as he described their struggles with sleep-protesting, teething babies (been there) and I was fascinated by both the novelty and challenge of raising babies–challenging in its own right–in a foreign country.
My Life in France by Julia Child. This is Child’s iconic memoir of moving to France because of her husband’s job and falling in love with the country and its food. Her story is so inspiring. She didn’t “follow her dreams” in the traditional sense–she started taking cooking classes while in France as a 30-something woman, not before–instead it seems like she stumbled upon them. While this memoir is more about Julia Child’s life than anything else, I did love seeing France through her eyes.
At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider. This is not your typical travel memoir. While Tsh and her husband did go on an exotic-sounding around-the-world trip, they did it with their 3 kids, age 10 and under, in tow. It doesn’t give you the in-depth look into another culture the way some of these others do, but I loved the way she explores what it means to nurture a love of travel and adventure while also longing for a place to call home.
Are there any other places you’d like to travel, by book? Have you read any memoirs about everyday life around the world that you would add to this list?
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