One Man's Europe

One of the biggest favors a person can do for themselves is to read at least one book about travel in their lifetime. Perhaps this comes from my innate wanderlust, but I do feel as though one of the greatest gifts books give us is the ability to read about another's perception of the world. What better way than through travel journals?

One Man's Europe is a unique memoir featuring the writings of Gordon Nicholas. These journals were put together by his son who offers additions to his father's journeys through his eyes decades later. Along with the personal accounts are photos, ViewMaster slides, paintings, etc. Every page is rich with atmosphere and history as a post-World War II Europe is explored.

What struck me early on was the disconnect I never realized I had while reading about wars and their aftermath. There was one particular photo (among several) that showed a city in ruins from bombings during the war. Seeing it next to the written description hit me differently than if I'd just seen a photograph or had just read a recount in a book. Often books lump all of the photos together in one or two sections of the book and by the time you get to them you're already far past the moment of relevance or haven't arrived to another moment just yet. I enjoyed being able to take them in one by one.

This was almost the perfect read for me until it crossed a line, giving a narrative against organized religion so angrily that my biggest takeaway from the book has ultimately been wondering why he bothered to visit so many churches and religious sites if it caused him so much disgust. While there were a lot of positive notes in the book, the contrast of the negative stood out.

I adore books that can take me back to a different time and place. I'm a chronological reader, so I read this book from start to finish. However, the chapters are organized by city, so if you're the kind of person who likes to pick and choose, it's easy to jump around. Of course, there is something to be said about reading it in full at least one time around. I can see myself looking back on this in the future and revisiting some of my favorite cities visited.

Despite my one qualm, I enjoyed the structure of this book immensely. It's made me want to find books similar to it so I can continue living vicariously through the authors fortunate enough to visit such incredible places.

Thanks to Discovery for providing a free digital copy to read and review!