Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

I too am a sort-of competitive traveler (85 so far!), so I was interested in hearing the story of someone who has visited every one of the world's 193 countries.

This book is a mix of grief journal and extreme travelogue. Hoffner begins his 193-country quest after the sudden, tragic death of his wife Jackie. The first third of the book has some very profound, intimate thoughts on the death of a life partner, grieving the life you'd planned together, and finding a reason to move on. I did not expect such a moving treatise on love and loss.

Ironically, the 193-country quest travelogue in the final two-thirds of the book was not as engaging. I found much of the stories repetitive (he flies into a developing nation; he meets people; he is reminded of Jackie and how important human connection is), and strangely not so interesting given the subject matter.

I appreciated that he acknowledged that the "competitive traveling community" was traditionally filled with old white boomer men like himself; though he notes that now it's much more diversified and less restrictive, what he DOESN'T mention is the extreme wealth required to fulfill his own quest. Most people in search of 193 countries head to a continent and spend several months traveling backpacking around. But if you are inspired to follow in Hoffner's footsteps, know that he took over 10 individual roundtrip flights from San Francisco to Africa or Asia (priced at around $1200 apiece) in a 3-year span. This does not include thousands of $$ in guides, visa fees, hotels, and tours (did you know that a Ugandan gorilla trek permit is $800? Not the tour! The PERMIT). Living in spendy Sausalito, with all this available cash...a nod to his highly privileged quest method would have been a bit more honest. But I will also add that he is a massive African philanthropist, and the sales of this book are donated to his foundation. So I suppose it evens out.

Author Barry Hoffner's raw and emotional memoirs are heart shattering, poignant, thoughtful, hopeful, and personal. While he and his wife were on separate adventures, to meet up later, Barry received the devastating news that his beloved Jackie had been killed in a terrible accident. His shock, anguish, and deep grief swallowed him whole. He and his two sons processed the grief in different ways.

An avid traveler, one of Barry's goals was(is) to visit all 193 countries and he has come super close. He describes many of his and Jackie's adventures along with his solo adventures after his "year zero". Along with the headaches of travel such as visa issues and a hijacking, he describes a plethora of great experiences which was healing to him. Connection with people, unifying experiences in different cultures, gaining understanding, and finding belonging were crucial on his journey.

Many countries he traveled to are detailed such as Israel, Russia, the "stans", Mali, and Sudan. We travel for history, architecture, food, culture, tradition, weirdness., and natural scenery but we also have personal quests or goals. As an international traveler myself, I understand the richness of unparalleled travel "education" and starting over with a clean slate.

Despite dark sorrow and feeling lost, the author was able to experience travel joy and fulfillment after a time. I am glad he includes lovely photos of his lovely wife and their two sons in this book, a very personal touch. One of the most touching moments (there are many!) was the keepsake book Barry created for his sons which was therapeutic for him, too. Truly remarkable family.

I absolutely loved this beautiful story of love, grief, and finding a new way forward. Reading of Barry's love for Jackie and the beautiful life they lived together through their travels was incredibly moving. Traveling alongside him in his quest to visit 193 was deeply immersive and I constantly kept googling the places he was so that I could see the beauty for myself!

Belonging to the World is an incredible memoir about love, loss and hope. This is a great piece of work showing how spirituality can be found in so many ways, even if not exactly as has been prescribed to us.

I really appreciated the compassion and emphasis on gratitude in this book. I have been working on connecting with my higher power and this book was the perfect complement to my growing daily practice.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC ✨