Reading escapes to distant lands: Recommended travel books for journeying to exotic locations
In the realm of travel literature, there are books that go beyond the typical tourist destinations, offering deep insights into people and cultures often overlooked. Here are some highly-rated titles that stand out for their historical context, local voices, and complex portrayals of culture.
Minarets in the Mountains by Tharik Hussain
This book explores indigenous Muslim communities in the western Balkans, challenging the myth that Islam is foreign to Europe. Hussain's journey through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, sheds light on a Muslim Europe with diverse cultural nuances and helps to dispel common myths about Islam in Europe.
The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth
Booth takes a critical and humorous look at Scandinavian countries beyond their capital cities, revealing cultural realities and social issues often overlooked in popular narratives about the region.
Karachi Vice by Samira Shackle
This work of narrative nonfiction offers a fast-paced, engaging portrayal of life in Karachi, Pakistan. Shackle's gripping portrait of the city located at the southern tip of Pakistan follows the lives of various residents, revealing the stark inequality and daily violence in the metropolis. Yet, it also showcases the resilience and determination of its people.
Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh
Rajesh provides a vivid account of what it's like to travel the world by train, capturing seven months of train travel with her fiancé in a witty and honest memoir.
In My Mother's Footsteps by Mona Hajjar Halaby
Halaby's book is a personal account of the year she moved to the West Bank to teach conflict resolution at a local school in Ramallah and learn about her Palestinian roots. The ongoing genocide in Gaza and escalating violence in the West Bank are discussed in this thought-provoking narrative.
Red Sands by Caroline Eden
Eden's book covers all five countries of central Asia and includes dispatches from a trip to a mare milk factory in Karaganda, central Kazakhstan, and a visit to a plov and shashlik cafe in Rishton with one of Uzbekistan's master ceramicists.
Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer et al.
Exploring hidden global wonders and curiosities beyond mainstream destinations, Atlas Obscura offers an intriguing read for those seeking something offbeat and unique.
Travel Memoirs
Books like Paris Lost and Found and A Hard Place to Leave present intimate, nuanced portraits of places and people, offering more personal cultural insights rather than conventional guidebook information. For Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam, books by authors like Quế Mai provide poetic yet grounded narratives that capture local lifestyles, family values, and natural landscapes beyond the typical war-dominated stories.
These titles move beyond surface-level tourism to offer historical context, local voices, and complex portrayals of culture, helping readers understand the world’s diverse societies in richer detail. Whether you're seeking adventure, cultural insight, or a deeper understanding of the world, these books are a great place to start.
[1] Tharik Hussain, Minarets in the Mountains, Penguin Books Ltd, 2016.
[2] Michael Booth, The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia, Penguin Books Ltd, 2014.
[3] Paris Lost and Found by Sarah Turnbull and A Hard Place to Leave by Tim Moore.
[4] Quế Mai, The Hope They Carried, Penguin Books Ltd, 2020.
[5] Joshua Foer et al., Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders, Workman Publishing Company, 2016.
- The lifestyle portrayed in Tharik Hussain's Minarets in the Mountains is a deep dive into the cultural nuances of indigenous Muslim communities in the western Balkans, offering historical context and local voices.
- Travel Memoirs such as Paris Lost and Found and A Hard Place to Leave provide insights into Southeast Asia's lifestyles, family values, and natural landscapes, going beyond conventional guidebook information through poetic yet grounded narratives.
