I have. I do. That is probably why this book spoke to me. It is about a man who, once entering his 40s and having his beloved father die, wonders if something is missing from his life. He wants to have children but his wife is uncertain. At the same time, he wants to give back and to be the man that he saw his father as being, which was a good man and a kind one. He wonders who will remember him and honor him the way that he remembers and honors his father. To find out, he travels to several different places around the world, doing volunteer work for a few weeks at a time.
I enjoyed this book. I always enjoy reading about travel and travelogues are one of my favorite genres. This book did not disappoint. It got my interest with some of the stories from abroad and I found my head nodding to some of the descriptions of the countries, the locals, the feeling of helplessness when you can't communicate, as well as the satisfaction of communicating without words at times. I have done volunteer work abroad and loved it and so this book brought back fond memories for me.
The book was split up into 6 sections, which each described one of the author's trips. I felt that it was organized well and was easy to read. I would recommend this book to others. It makes me want to put on my boots and get on the road!
If you are interested, you can see what other members of the tour thought of the book HERE. You can contact the author here: Website | Facebook
I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review. I was not compensated, nor was I required to write a positive review.
Do you like to travel? Have you ever volunteered in a foreign country (or at all)? How was your overall experience?
I am reading this book now, too! I will be reviewing it on Monday! I thought of you when he talked about crossing the street in China!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE to travel! A co-worker I know did a voluntourist trip to somewhere in South America and said it was an amazing experience. I would totally do that some day.
This sounds like a great read. Volunteering in another country is on my bucket list as an adult. I did an 8-week volunteer program in Costa Rica while in college and it was a fantastic experience. Would love to get my kids involved in some sort of project abroad, too.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE to travel!!! My heart's desire is to volunteer in Africa....serious wish I had done it before I started a family but it's never too late!
ReplyDeleteI love to travel. Even small little trips, it's just fun to explore and experience new locations. I don't get to do it nearly as much as I'd like. Volunteering in another country would be an amazing experience.
ReplyDeleteIn college I did some work around the country for various organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Appalachian Service Project. I got the opportunity to travel to Haiti and do missions work there too. Although my Haiti experience did not live up to what I hoped it would, I would love to do more hands-on building projects in other areas.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. When I was in High School I spent two months in Costa Rica with Amigos de las Americas (http://www.amigoslink.org) I helped in dental education and distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste to schools. It was a great experince and would love to do it again someday.
ReplyDeleteI love to travel, but I've never traveled in order to volunteer. I've traveled for work and for pleasure. Maybe someday I'll be a voluntourist, but I don't see it happening in the next couple of years.
ReplyDeleteLove love love to travel. I crave it really. So much wisdom to be gained. So much learning about life and ourselves. I'd love to travel and volunteer someday.
ReplyDeleteI love it when a book inspires me to do something, especially travel. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour.
I LOVE to travel and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Russia. I'd love to read this book--it hasn't come up in any of my review sources. I'll see if I can get a hold on it!
ReplyDeleteOooohhh....I'm definitely going to have to read this one. I have been looking into doing some volunteer nursing in Tanzania. Probably won't happen until late next year though, but in the meantime, I could use all the inspiration I could get. And you have volunteered with children in Bolivia right? Anywhere else?
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