Review/Giveaway: Pins on a Map

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Pins on a Map:  A Family's Yearlong Journey Around the World
Author: David Boesch
Genre: Nonfiction/memoir
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.

Entry deadline: March 10, 2011

Restrictions: Open internationally!

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway.  This is my review copy, so it has been gently read.

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Publisher:  Reedy Press

Physical Description: 160-page paperback
List Price: $16.95
ISBN: 9781933370682
For More Info: www.pinsonamap.com

Synopsis:

Feel the panic of losing track of your family in the narrow streets of Bangkok or the exhilaration of curling up with a tiger at a buddhist temple. Learn the true meaning of culture shock and understand the essence of hospitality. Indulge in a pizza contest that ranges across the United States and the world, and experience a safari that brings aggressive monkeys through your window. Come to grips with the end of a great adventure as you settle back into the mundane.

The phrase "what a difference a year makes" took on a new meaning for the Boesch family. In May 2007, physician David Boesch and his family-five strong, with kids age 7, 10, and 13-embarked on a trip that would bring them to 6 continents and 17 countries in 345 days. Boesch depicts the adventure of parenting in constant motion in Pins on a Map, a riveting, honest, and heartwarming memoir. Safety, education, logistics, limitations, and respect are just some of the themes that resonate in this amazing-but-true story-an enthralling account of parents giving their children the experience of a lifetime. Interspersed with history, and sprinkled with humor, Boesch lets readers tag along on an unforgettable family journey that forever changed perspectives of the world and their place in it.

About the Author:

Author David Boesch lives in Mesa, Arizona, where he works as an emergency department physician.  This is his first book.

What I Liked: 

If you are at all a fan of international travel, this is a book for you!  I found myself absolutely drooling, planning, scheming on how my family can take the same type of trip someday.  I was fascinated with the author and his family's perspective on the various places they visited, mentally cataloguing their observations on history, friendliness, cost, ease of navigation, etc. etc.

What really made this book was the author's candidness and to-the-point dry humor.  The book moved extremely well - I would just be catching on to the humor while the author was already on to the next destination - no long descriptive narratives to wade through.  Family squabbles, parental regrets, spousal deferrals, even dollar-a-day snacks, all made the text and pulled me into the adventure.

The photos and the entries by the other family members just add to the overall flavor and authenticity of the book - love it!

And of course, I can relate to some of the culture shock they had when arriving back home.  Their worldview had changed, but everything around them was still the same.  It's hard to relate...

What I Didn't Like: 

Pretty much nothing. 

I had a few differences of opinion that bugged me a little.  For instance, I've found India to be one of the most hospitable, friendly, generous countries I've visited, while the author describes a not-so-pleasant view of it.  And he crossed South Africa off his list so easily because of the murder rate there, while I've lived there and would definitely rank it one of the top spots to visit.  And his reasoning for not making the trip more of a humanitarian adventure doesn't add up for me.

In all fairness, however, this is David Boesch's story, not mine.  It is not an impersonal travel guide.  His frankness in describing his family's adventures is part of what makes it so appealing.  So thank you, author, for taking us along with you, inspiring us and changing our worldview a little...

Thanks to Reedy Press for the review copy of this book.