Traveling the world can be a dream that many of us hold dear. For some, the allure of boarding a plane to a far-off place and experiencing new cultures first-hand is irresistible. But travel, as we know, is not always possible due to time, finances, or other circumstances. The good news is that books have an incredible way of transporting us to different parts of the globe—all without leaving the comfort of our favorite reading spot. By embarking on a reading challenge inspired by countries, cultures, and people from around the world, you can capture the essence of global exploration, one book at a time.
Why Take on a Global Reading Challenge?
A reading challenge that spans the globe isn’t merely a checklist—it is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect. Imagine encountering tales set in bustling cities, expansive deserts, or remote mountain villages. Every book offers not just a story but also the chance to understand a culture’s values, struggles, and triumphs. When you immerse yourself in literature written by authors from different countries, you get a genuine look into their perspectives, customs, and worldviews.
This reading journey allows you to explore the diversity of the world—its people, traditions, and histories—while building empathy and understanding. It pushes you to read beyond what you might normally pick up, challenging you to broaden your horizons and shift your perception of the world.
Planning Your Around-the-World Reading Journey
Embarking on a reading journey across continents requires a bit of planning, and that planning can be half the fun. The first step is to create a list of countries or regions you want to explore. You might decide on reading books representing each continent, or perhaps focusing on a specific region such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, or sub-Saharan Africa.
One way to start is by selecting a book that is set in or written by an author from each of the 52 countries—one for each week of the year. You could also customize the list to represent a more realistic goal, such as reading books from 20 or 30 different countries. If 52 books feel overwhelming, focus on a manageable number, knowing each book counts as a step towards a richer understanding of the world.
To make your reading experience as authentic as possible, try to choose books by native authors. Local voices tend to offer the most genuine portrayal of a country’s culture, values, and history. For example, read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Nigeria, Haruki Murakami for Japan, Isabel Allende for Chile, or Arundhati Roy for India. The goal is to experience these countries through the lens of those who know them best.
Choosing Your Books
Choosing the right book for each country or region is crucial to ensuring a fulfilling journey. It’s a good idea to mix genres and literary styles so that you don’t get stuck in a rut. Perhaps you start with a historical fiction piece that sheds light on a region’s past, then move on to a contemporary novel that reflects current-day issues. Adding some memoirs, essays, or even poetry can offer variety and different angles of understanding.
For Europe, you might choose Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” to dive into 19th-century Russia, or “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery for a modern French perspective. Africa presents a vast array of voices—you could read “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe to understand the complex relationship between tradition and colonization in Nigeria or explore the lyrical narrative of “The Shadow King” by Maaza Mengiste, set in Ethiopia.
Asia offers its own tapestry of literary gems: explore Haruki Murakami’s surreal Tokyo landscapes, Amitav Ghosh’s historical saga set in India, or the poignant short stories of Yiyun Li to understand contemporary China. In Latin America, magical realism reigns supreme, and Gabriel García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” introduces you to Colombia’s vibrant yet turbulent history. You could also venture into works from smaller countries, like “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende from Chile, offering a rich perspective on family and politics.
The Caribbean also provides compelling stories—consider reading “Breath, Eyes, Memory” by Edwidge Danticat to get a glimpse of life in Haiti, or “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys, set in Jamaica, which presents a prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” from a Caribbean lens. For Oceania, explore the natural beauty and challenges of indigenous cultures through “Carpentaria” by Alexis Wright, an Aboriginal author from Australia, or Witi Ihimaera’s “The Whale Rider,” which brings Maori culture to the forefront.
How to Keep the Journey Enjoyable
To make the challenge enjoyable rather than overwhelming, don’t forget to vary your selections with lighter reads and more intense ones. Following up a heavy historical account with a lighter, humorous novel can help you stay motivated without feeling bogged down by difficult subjects. Include some children’s or young adult books, which can also provide a wonderful and accessible lens into a country’s culture.
Another great way to keep the journey engaging is to involve others. Share your challenge on social media, or invite friends to join you. You could create a book club around the world theme, allowing you to discuss and share insights on the books you read. Discussing these books with others not only helps you stay motivated but also provides new perspectives that you may not have considered on your own.
There are also plenty of online reading communities you can join. Platforms like Goodreads, Reddit, or Facebook often host groups dedicated to global reading challenges, where members share book recommendations, discuss cultural themes, and encourage each other to keep going. Participating in these groups makes the challenge feel less like an isolated endeavor and more like a collective adventure.
Benefits of Reading Around the World
The benefits of a reading challenge that spans the globe go far beyond simply increasing the number of books you’ve read. This kind of challenge offers deep insights into the human experience across different cultural contexts. You will encounter diverse customs, unfamiliar social norms, and unique ways of looking at the world. In doing so, you will cultivate a greater sense of empathy and understanding for people from different backgrounds.
Literature can provide a window into how history, politics, and culture shape a society. It can help demystify stereotypes, correct misconceptions, and offer a more nuanced view of other nations. For example, reading about modern Iranian life in “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi can counteract reductive media portrayals by showcasing everyday experiences filled with both struggle and humor. Likewise, reading “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers a keen perspective on race and identity, both in Nigeria and in the United States.
There is also something inherently magical about reading stories set in different landscapes, which you may not have the chance to visit in real life. You might find yourself wandering the snowy tundra of Siberia, experiencing the vibrant colors of an Indian bazaar, or breathing in the hot, dry air of the Sahara Desert. These settings, vividly brought to life by talented authors, allow you to connect emotionally with places that may seem distant or abstract. They make the world feel both larger—full of diversity—and smaller, by highlighting shared emotions and experiences.
Taking Notes and Tracking Your Journey
As you progress on your journey around the world, it’s worth documenting your experience. Consider keeping a reading journal where you jot down thoughts, quotes, and reflections for each book. Note how each book made you feel, what you learned, and what surprised you. Over time, you’ll be able to look back and see how each literary journey has expanded your view of the world.
You can also use maps or online tracking tools to visualize your journey. Marking off each country on a map as you read about it can provide a tangible sense of accomplishment and remind you of how much of the world you’ve covered through literature. It’s a satisfying way to track your progress and visually represent the breadth of your reading adventures.
Creating a blog or even a simple social media account to document your journey can also be rewarding. Sharing your thoughts online invites interaction and discussion, which can enrich your understanding of the books. You might even inspire others to take on the same challenge.
Embrace the Challenge, Enjoy the Ride
Reading around the world is not about speed or simply checking off countries from a list—it’s about the depth of experience. If a book takes longer to finish because you find yourself pausing to absorb a particular aspect of the culture, or researching more about a historical event it mentions, allow yourself that time. This is the beauty of a reading challenge like this: it’s as much about the process as it is about the end goal.
In the end, reading around the globe opens up our perspectives, introduces us to people and ideas we might never encounter in our daily lives, and helps us understand our place in the world a little better. It’s about celebrating humanity, with all its differences and commonalities, and connecting across borders through the power of storytelling. A year spent traveling through 52 different books, each one offering its own unique insight into a corner of the world, could be one of the most rewarding journeys you embark on—all without leaving your favorite reading chair.
