Memoirs From Around the World: Book Recommendations by buildOn
Summer is here and we’ve got a list of good travel reads. We recently asked our staff who travel overseas to build schools for book recommendations about global issues in the countries where we work, and they came up with a list of memoirs that are recommended reading for their students who travel to developing countries. These memoirs will inspire and will take readers inside villages in Mali, Nicaragua, Malawi and Nepal.
Kris Holloway writes about her life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, living and working with a midwife, Monique Dembele. Kris learns about the extremely difficult cultural and economic conditions the women live with, and writes about her relationship to Monique, who perseveres despite her circumstances. A truly motivational read!
- The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War By Gioconda Belli
This memoir is about Gioconda Belli’s transformation to a sheltered upper-class citizen to active participant in Nicaragua’s Sandinista Revolution in the ’70s. This exciting read both educates and gives readers rich insight about the political history of the Central American country.
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
This is an incredible story about a young teenager, William Kamkwamba, who brings electricity and water to his small village in Malawi by creating a windmill out of scrap metal, odd supplies, and an old science textbook. The lesson: anything is possible with a little ingenuity.
This is a thrilling tale about a man who decides to dedicate his life to victims of child traffickers in Nepal after volunteering at an orphanage home to seven children taken from their families. This story reminds readers about how just one person’s actions can deeply affect the lives of others.
What do you think about these recommendations? Let us know your reading recommendations in our comments section. We’ll be featuring more book reviews soon!