Expat Book Reviews

Expat books can be indispensable resources when it comes to relocation. Put down the fiction and pick up a guide, memoir or teaching tool that can help you make your time living and working overseas a success.

Expat books for parents

My Moving Booklet By VALERIE BESANCENEY Moving countries isn't an easy situation for a person to deal with – but add kids into the equation, and relocating can become an even bigger challenge. 'My Moving Booklet' is a great tool to help children adapt to their new homes through a series of creative activities.
Safe Passage: How Mobility Affects People and What International Schools Should Do About It By DOUGLAS W. OTA Many expats know the routine of goodbyes and hellos and the grief that trails after them and their children. This new book by Douglas W. Ota might just be the essential resource needed for expat parents. As an expat and experienced international school counsellor, Ota shares his knowledge on the topic with parents, teachers, administration and anyone else who works with third culture kids.
The Stress-Free Guide to Studying in the States: a Step-by-Step Guide for International Students By TONI SUMMERS HARGIS A blend of careful research and experience, this much-needed book guides the reader through the maze of US college applications.
Writing Out of Limbo: International Childhoods, Global Nomads and Third Culture Kids By GENE H. BELL-VILLADA and NINA SICHEL, with FAITH EIDSE and EMAILNE NEIL ORR A collection of personal essays and scholarly articles, memoirs and literary investigations of the issue of what it is to grow up globally.
Bringing Up Brits: Expat Parents Raising Cross-Cultural Kids in Britain By MEGHAN PETERSON FENN This book is for and about parents from other cultures who are raising children in Britain, as well as living an expat life and parenting in a foreign country.
Home Keeps Moving By HEIDI SAND-HART An autobiographical account that third culture kids can use to validate their experiences and understand their own muddled emotions.
The Global Nomad's Guide to University Transition By TINA L. QUICK A brilliantly researched and urgently needed resource for third-culture kids and global nomads returning to their passport culture for one of the most volatile periods of their life...college.

Expat books for women

Happy as a Partridge: Life and Love in Madrid

By KATE BOYLE

After growing bored of her life in England, Kate Boyle left to work as a TEFL teacher in Madrid, Spain. Years later, she returned with a wealth of experiences under her belt. In her debut novel, 'Happy as a Partridge: Life and Love in Madrid', Kate shares her adventures.

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Expat Women: Confessions

By ANDREA MARTINS and VICTORIA HEPWORTH

Fifty real-life questions asked, examined and answered by expat woman. A colourful companion for those living abroad and lacking a good girlfriend to gossip with and glean advice from.

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Harvesting Stones: An American Woman's International Journey of Survival

By PAULA LUCAS

International intrigue, emotional betrayal, escalating domestic violence and virtual servitude in a foreign land; this is the story of one woman's journey of survival.

Harvesting Stones: An American Woman's International Journey of Survival

Other expat books

Working in Thailand: How to Ditch the Desk, Board the Flights, and Land the Job By PATRICK TAYLOR & KARSTEN AICHHOLZ 'Working in Thailand: How to Ditch the Desk, Board the Flights, and Land the Job' covers everything an expats needs to know when considering moving to Thailand. By interviewing 19 expats already in the country, the authors have created a unique and insightful how-to guide for working in Thailand.
The American Way of Life: The Foreigner's Perspective By CLAUDE KOEHL Covering everything from coffee to tailgate parties, expats considering a move to the USA will find that ‘The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective’ provides an incredibly useful overview of all the vital information they will need to successfully adapt to the intricacies of life in America.
Far Away and Further Back By PATRICK BURNS 'Far Away and Further Back' traces the experiences of German-English expat Patrick Burns as he navigates life as a ‘corporate nomad’. At the young age of 23, he accepted his first official expat assignment and never looked back. With an expat experience that spans over 30 years and 13 international moves, the term serial expat is no exaggeration.
Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch By RODNEY BOLT How would you sum up the Dutch race to an alien being? Where would you start, and what on earth would you say? If you’re an expat new to these shores, you might start by describing their quaint penchant for tulips, windmills and uncomfortable wooden shoes, or maybe you’d begin with their obsession of bicycles?
Passage to Persia By MARGARET A. FRAME Spanning three decades, this delightful biography tells the true story of a young American missionary and her life as a doctor working in Persia.
Ready, Steady, Go Dutch By MANDIE ROSE DANIELSKI A handbook that every expat, trailing spouse, and immigrant to the Netherlands should be issued with when they find out they’re moving there.
The Emotionally Resilient Expat: Engage, Adapt and Thrive Across Cultures By LINDA A. JANSSEN A fascinating book that exposes the reality of being an expat accompanying partner (the condescendingly termed ‘trailing spouse’), a role that requires considerable emotional, psychological and mental stamina and intelligence.
Drinking Camel's Milk in the Yurt Edited by MONICA NEBOLI An anthology written by fellow expat authors about their lives and adventures in Kazakhstan.
Moving to Portugal By LOUISE AND BEN TAYLOR This is a story of two expat's move from London to the Algarve and serves to give potential expats a better understanding of what's in store should they decide to take the plunge.
101 Reasons to Live Abroad and 100 Reasons Not To By CHRIS ALDEN Written in an easy-to-read formula, this is a practical guide to the pros and cons that expats should consider when moving abroad.
From Barcelona: Stories Behind the City By JEREMY HOLLAND This collection of short stories ranges from Gothic horror to contemporary romance, all while exploring a central theme: the city of Barcelona itself. A great read for anyone looking for an entertaining introduction to the sights, smells, sounds and varied characters of the city.
Perking the Pansies By JACK SCOTT A humorous account of one gay couple’s decision to exchange the tedium of working life in London for the tumult of expat living in the Muslim world. A must-read for anyone thinking of moving to Turkey.
Paris, Paris By DAVID DOWNIE This wonderfully affectionate and engaging series of essays and vignettes reveals Paris's complex personality, picturesque history and beguiling beauty. David Downie is the perfect companion for any expat moving to or living in Paris.
Jump Down Under By IAIN AYRES 'Jump Down Under' contains six narratives gleaned from in-depth interviews with those who’ve made the move, interspersed with concise guide chapters containing objective information. The book is essential reading for anyone curious about expat life in Australia and the process it takes to get there.
Black and (A)broad By CAROLYN VINES 'Black and (A)broad' offers a heartfelt and valuable reminder that moving outside one's cultural homeland often offers the very perspective necessary to reevaluate all aspects of identity.
A Career in Your Suitcase By JO PARFITT The ultimate tool for expats looking to forge a movable career in a globalised world. Learn from real-life stories, testimonials, exercises, questions, and checklists.
Definite Articles By JO PARFITT A self-study guide and information bible invaluable for any novice expat writer wanting to record their experiences abroad and get paid for it.
Making a World of Difference – Personal Leadership By BARBARA F. SCHAETTI, SHEILA RAMSEY AND GORDON WATANABE A guide for expats on becoming the leader of their own emotional experience – a vital skill when facing the stress and uncertainties that often accompany expat life abroad.