Around the World in 80 Books

Summer is the perfect time for travel. Each summer I enjoy spending weeks on end traveling to locations both exotic and familiar. So far this summer, I’ve traveled to Sweden, Louisiana, the San Fernando Valley, Cambodia and Africa.
Ah, if only my bank account allowed me to really travel to these places. Instead, I content myself with traveling only as far as my couch, the YMCA pool or a nearby beach. Once comfortable, I pull out whatever book I’m currently reading and let my mind travel to the places inside.

I’m a voracious reader by nature, but without the distractions of homework, after-school activities and soccer I am able to spend that much more time lazing around with a good book. I may not be able to physically jet off to parts unknown, but with the help of my local library, I can experience the next best thing.
When school let out, I transported myself to Sweden to enjoy the first two books of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl who Played with Fire.” I became well acquainted with two fascinating characters, journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, while learning about many places throughout Sweden, the country of my ancestors. There was even a mention in the first book about the tiny island of Arholma, where my grandfather was born.

Leaving Sweden I traveled to rural Wisconsin at the turn of the century to experience the story of a mail order bride and her wealthy husband in Robert Goolrick’s “A Reliable Wife”. Nothing is as it seems in this twisty, juicy read. From there I jetted to the heat of Africa where I found myself enthralled by the epic novel, “Someone Knows My Name” by Lawrence Hill. The novel follows Aminata Diallo, a young girl kidnapped in Africa, sold into slavery and transported to South Carolina, Manhattan, Nova Scotia and, finally, back to Africa. Blending real events and historical figures, the story gives a harrowing account of Aminata’s struggle to survive, eventually aiding the British in the Revolutionary War and supporting the Abolitionist Movement in London.

Needing to lighten up, I then traveled to The San Fernando Valley to hang out with “The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina” by Mike Padilla. Though I’m not Latina, I recognized plenty of myself and my friends in the novel’s characters as they struggle with female friendships, romantic entanglements and trouble in the workplace. This lighthearted story was the perfect bridge between the heavy “Someone Knows my Name” and the next book on my list.

Just this morning, I finished “First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung. Forced to flee her home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1975, the author describes in horrific detail the five years her family spent traveling from village to village, hoping to escape imprisonment and death at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Completely engrossed in the story, I often forgot that the writer was only five years old at the time of the events.

Last, but not least, I’m joining my family on yet another adventure this summer. The required reading for my son entering fourth grade is “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson. I wonder what the school was thinking, assigning such a weighty book for a 9-year old. After watching my son struggle for a few days, my husband and I decided that each night we would read a chapter or two out loud to our children. My favorite comment so far is when my son said, “Hey, this character is named after a restaurant… Long John Silver.” We’re hoping to finish our pirate adventure before school begins.

With a mere five weeks left until school starts, I’m looking forward to taking a few more trips through the pages of a beloved book. If you can’t swing the money or the time off for a real vacation, why not join me?