Check out four impactful memoirs that will carry you to faraway places all while staying at home.
1. The Longest Way Home By Andrew McCarthy
In this memoir, McCarthy recounts his yearlong solo journey around the world. He visited Spain, Patagonia, the Amazon, Costa Rica, Vienna, Baltimore, Kilimanjaro, and Dublin. During his journey, he describes his migration from being a vagabond to a once-again married man. The New York Times said it best, it’s “A long, strange trip on the direction of full-throttle love.”
2. West With The Night By Beryl Markham
In Markham’s memoir, she writes about her childhood in Kenya, her greatest fears, training racehorses, and most notably one of her greatest adventures. In 1936, Markham accepted a challenge to complete the first solo east-to-west flight across the Atlantic. She started off from England, flew for more than 21 hours, and survived a crash-landing on an island near Nova Scotia. This story will definitely keep you on your toes throughout.
3. The Snow Leopard By Peter Matthiessen
This memoir from 1973, chronicles Matthiessen’s trek with zoologist Gorge Schaller into the region of the Himalayas. Schaller’s aim was to study the Himalayan blue sheep, while Matthiessen was to take a glimpse at the snow leopard which is rare to see. According to this memoir, only two westerners over the previous twenty-five years have ever seen the snow leopard in the wild. This book is perfect for those of you who are adrenaline junkies.
4. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard offers us an exclusive insight into her memoir. She chronicles her close-to-home explorations along the Tinker Creek in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains across a one year period. Dillard stays in place while the world shifts around her. She shares the fear, anxiousness, and anger throughout her journey. This memoir is perfect to keep your mind off the current news. Enjoy a good reading!