TRAVEL NON-FICTION

You Are Here summer book list #3 is Non-Fiction Travel, or true tales of travels around the world.  Place a hold on one of the books below by clicking on the title, which will take you to the online catalog.  You will need your library card barcode, and your PIN (last 4 digits of your telephone number).

 

TAKE A TRUE TALES JOURNEY

The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe, 

by Glynis Ridley, 2010.

In a deeply researched and engagingly written narrative of science, adventure, love, and a voyage of discovery, Ridley tells the true story of Jeanne Baret, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.
 

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing, 1959.

An account of an astonishing feat of exploration and human courage. In August of 1914, the British ship, Endurance, set sail for the South Atlantic. In October, 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, were castaways, drifting on ice packs.
 

Europe From a Backpack: 

Real Stories From Young Travelers Abroad, 

edited by Mark Pearson and Martin Westerman, 2004.  

A collection of short essays by students who made the trek across the ocean in search of adventures. Maps.
 

Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future, by Greg Melville, 2008.  

The quest: to be the first people to drive cross-country in a french-fry car. Part adventure, part investigation, of what we're doing (or not doing) to preserve the planet.  Upbeat, funny, and full of surprising information.

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, 

by writer & artist, Sarah Glidden, 2010.  

A graphic memoir that chronicles the author's Israeli government sponsored trip through Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and Masada and a non-chaperoned trip into the West Bank.

  

An Indian Winter, by Russell Freedman, 1992.

  The experiences of a German prince, his servant, and a young Swiss artist as they traveled through the Missouri River Valley in 1833 learning about the territory and its inhabitants.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, 

by Jon Krakauer, 1997.  

The story of a disastrous expedition that claimed the lives of eight climbers.  Krakauer describes his spring 1996 trek to Mt. Everest, and explains why he survived. 

 

The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan 

with Doctors Without Borders, 

by Emmanuel Guibert, 2009.  

In 1986, Afghanistan was torn apart by a war with the Soviet Union.  This graphic novel/photo-journal is a record of one reporter’s arduous & dangerous journey through Afghanistan, accompanying the Doctors Without Borders.

Rite of Passage: Tales of Backpacking 'Round Europe, 

edited by Lisa Johnson, 2003.  

Backpackers on their first visit to Europe tell it like it really is. They describe crossing the language barrier in Corfu, meeting locals in Prague, hostel life in London, finding love in Paris & overindulging in Greece.

To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story, 

by Casey Scieszka, 2011.   

Covers the nearly two-year odyssey that Casey & Steven embarked on, after graduating from college in 2006.  Explores each nation's language, politics, traditions, & food.  Illustrated by Steven Weinberg.

 

Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam & Jetsam, 

by Skye Moody, 2006.   

The travels of marine debris.  From rubber ducks and beeswax to refrigerators and dead whales. 

 

I Wouldn't Start From Here: 

The 21st Century and Where It All Went Wrong, 

by Andrew Mueller, 2007. 

Wanting to find out why people in ravaged-torn countries turned to war as a resolution, a rock journalist heads to Kabul, Belfast, Gaza, and other war-ridden nations to get the stories straight from the source.