I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Terry A. Repak shares the highs and lows of raising children as global citizens, staying in different countries around the world in the book “Circling Home: What I Learned by Living Elsewhere”.
The Synopsis
When Terry Repak and her husband moved to West Africa with two small children at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, she seized the opportunity to connect with people of other cultures and bear witness to the ravages of the disease. Circling Home chronicles the adventures and challenges of raising children to be global citizens and trying to find home in countries as diverse as Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Switzerland. Her memoir spotlights the complexity, struggles, and profound lessons at the heart of the expat journey.
The Review
This was an incredibly moving and insightful read. The author does an incredible job of balancing the book with both memoir style writing and travel exploration. The imagery and detailed look into these experiences harkens to the author’s work as an investigative reporter, and the honesty for which the author speaks brings the emotional depth of her experiences to life perfectly.
Both the information and heart that went into showcasing the life of an expat and American living abroad and the honest approach to the author’s relationships with her family and their friends that made this story shine. The isolation and loneliness that can come with living abroad in a country not their own, as well as the shocking revelations of witnessing Africa in the height of the AIDS pandemic was quite engaging to me as a reader.
The Verdict
Thoughtful, heartfelt, and engaging, author Terry Repak’s “Circling Home” is a must-read nonfiction book for anyone who enjoys memoirs and travel books. The depth of information, personal writing mixed with great journalistic style, and an emotional connection that readers will resonate with as a family member will make readers eager to dive into this very personal story. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Terry Repak has worked as an investigative reporter, an editor, a television producer, a research fellow and a free-lance writer. She has a BS from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a PhD in Liberal Arts from Emory University. Her travel articles and research have appeared in newspapers and other publications, including the Seattle Times, Christian Science Monitor, Dar Guide, Geneva Talks, Offshoots, Hello Switzerland, The Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, Gender and Society, and Social Problems. Her most recent book is a memoir, “Circling Home: What I Learned By Living Elsewhere.” Her earlier books are “Waiting on Washington: Central American Workers in the Nation’s Capital” and “Edward Kennedy” (with Murray B. Levin).