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Zero To Travel Podcast

Reading a Book from Every Country in the World: A Year-Long Quest of Understanding with Ann Morgan

Zero To Travel Podcast

Jason Moore

Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel, Business, Society & Culture

4.5828 Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2024

⏱️ 86 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What does it mean to read the world, and how can it transform your perspective on global cultures? Ann Morgan is an author, novelist, and literary explorer based in Folkestone, UK. In 2012, she challenged herself to read a book from every country, recording her quest at ayearofreadingtheworld.com and in the non-fiction book Reading the World. Ann shares her experience, giving us powerful insights into literature’s ability to expand horizons and challenge preconceptions. She shares tips on finding books that challenge your worldview, the importance of reading outside your comfort zone, and how literature can reveal cultural blind spots. We talk about some of the challenges with reading globally and what to be cautious of when choosing what to read. You’ll walk away with fresh perspectives on how stories from around the globe can enrich your understanding of the world and your place in it. Which book from a different culture or country has impacted how you see the world? I'd love to hear about it, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message. Premium Passport:Get ad-free episodes, exclusive content, and access to all episodes for only $3/month. Subscribe now! Tune In To Learn: How her quest developed and grew beyond anything she expected (and why people are STILL talking about it!) The concept of "authentic reading" and avoiding the "authenticity trap" Tips on finding authentic voices in global literature The fine line between cultural appreciation and appropriation when sharing stories The role of translation and how it influences your perception of a culture  Stories of fascinating connections she made through her literary project The challenges and rewards of reading globally and understanding biases Why reading internationally can deepen more than just your travel experiences And so much more Resources: Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport Sign up for our FREE newsletter Ann’s website and book list Ann’s book, Reading the World Ann on Instagram Want More? Traveling While Black with Nanjala Nyabola Factfulness – Why The World Is Better Than You Think The Geography of Bliss With Eric Weiner Thanks To Our Sponsors Unbound Merino - Use code ‘TRAVEL10’ to get 10% off your Unbound Merino order. Airalo - Get $3 off your first eSIM with the promo code ‘ZTT.’ Defender - Explore the full lineup at landroverusa.com Moon Travel Guides - Grab your copy of Baseball Road Trips

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Unbound Marino. If you haven't heard of this company, you need to check them out.

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They make stylish and versatile Marino wool apparel. And you can get 10% off as a listener of the show with the promo code Travel 10. All one word, travel and the number 10.

0:15.6

And if you're not familiar, Marino Wool is the ultimate travel hack. It doesn't get smelly. It doesn't wrinkle.

0:22.8

And the Unbound Marina clothes are just cool. so check them out over at zero to travel.com slash unbound thank you to unbound marino

0:28.5

for supporting today's show today's episode is brought to you by aero lo this is used by over 10 million

0:33.8

travelers so you're going to want to listen to what I have to say. This is the ESIM solution

0:38.6

that you need. You can go onto their app for free and find an ESIM from 200 plus countries and

0:47.1

regions so you can be connected anywhere in the world the second you land. You can even set it up

0:51.5

before you arrive. No more huge roaming bills after the

0:54.8

trip. No more looking for phone service or free Wi-Fi. Get it all on this free app. You can go to the

1:00.6

link in the show notes and use the promo code ZTT for $3 off. That's ZTT. Thank you to Aerolo for

1:08.0

supporting today's show.

1:15.3

Something that I realized was that no matter who you are, no matter how many languages you speak, how many countries you've been to, or how many different cultures you know,

1:21.1

if you're really going to read the world, if you're going to read internationally,

1:24.9

you're going to come up against something that you don't understand

1:27.6

eventually. I suddenly discovered that by embracing not knowing, by celebrating that, by

1:33.7

exploring that and seeing what it can teach you, you actually learn so much about yourself,

1:38.4

about your own conditioning, your own expectations of how books work, your own biases,

1:44.0

the voices that you've been trained

1:45.5

to privilege and focus on.

1:48.1

I find it so empowering the idea that you can truly explore the world in a deeper way

1:53.6

without even leaving home.

...

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