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Nowhere Like Home: Misadventures in a Changing World
What kind of student would go halfway across the world to stir up a tribal independence movement in his summer break?
At nineteen, Jamie was nicely on track to becoming one of the most boring people in England, but an impulse trip to the jungles of Kalimantan changed all that. Spurred on by what he encountered among the Dayak tribespeople of the Krayan, he made a decision to discover the truth of the world around him, however uncomfortable that truth would turn out to be.
From the killing fields of Indonesia to the refugee camps of Palestine, this is the remarkable true story of how this decision came to define his life, seeing him visit some of the least accessible and most volatile places on earth, often armed with little more than a set of disarmingly rosy cheeks and a quirky sense of humour.
Exciting, thought-provoking, and occasionally disturbing, Nowhere Like Home forces us to question not only the reasons people travel, but also the very foundations of modern society.
At nineteen, Jamie was nicely on track to becoming one of the most boring people in England, but an impulse trip to the jungles of Kalimantan changed all that. Spurred on by what he encountered among the Dayak tribespeople of the Krayan, he made a decision to discover the truth of the world around him, however uncomfortable that truth would turn out to be.
From the killing fields of Indonesia to the refugee camps of Palestine, this is the remarkable true story of how this decision came to define his life, seeing him visit some of the least accessible and most volatile places on earth, often armed with little more than a set of disarmingly rosy cheeks and a quirky sense of humour.
Exciting, thought-provoking, and occasionally disturbing, Nowhere Like Home forces us to question not only the reasons people travel, but also the very foundations of modern society.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2012
30 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Alexander
19 books8 followersJamie Alexander is a writer and photographer based in Oxfordshire, England, with a keen interest in current affairs and travel. He's seen his fair share of adventures, from being mobbed by villagers in the high Himalaya and hunting wild boar in the world's most remote rain forests, to meeting Papuan rebels in the highlands of New Guinea. When he isn't off doing ridiculous things in faraway places, he likes bouldering, eating cheese, and reading about people doing ridiculous things in faraway places.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 14, 2013
One of my favourite genres is the armchair travel book. It allows me to get a glimpse of the world that is ‘out there’ without actually having to get my feet wet, spend time in dodgy restaurants or worry about not catching flights. Jamie’s book provided me with the opportunity to indulge this side of myself once more and it came at me from a completely different perspective than normal. This was the grittier end of travel, this was travel that might get you killed if you happened into the wrong alley at the wrong time and it was also travel that makes you think about what it is we call ‘home’, and all that we take for granted alongside that.
It is by turns irritatingly funny and thought-provoking, often in the same paragraph. It is insightful and engaging, and encourages the reader to wonder what life could be like, should be like for many others around the world. However, there is a poignant and underlying question that Jamie frequently refers back to and that is, at what point does travel become an addiction in itself, fueled by a voyeuristic need to see for oneself just how difficult life can be whilst never actually becoming part of it, safe as we are in knowing that we can always ‘go home’. A must read for everyone who has ever thought about travelling as a hobby.
It is by turns irritatingly funny and thought-provoking, often in the same paragraph. It is insightful and engaging, and encourages the reader to wonder what life could be like, should be like for many others around the world. However, there is a poignant and underlying question that Jamie frequently refers back to and that is, at what point does travel become an addiction in itself, fueled by a voyeuristic need to see for oneself just how difficult life can be whilst never actually becoming part of it, safe as we are in knowing that we can always ‘go home’. A must read for everyone who has ever thought about travelling as a hobby.
November 28, 2012
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, it manages to balance serious issues with humour and wit. Jamie Alexander is an excellent story-teller and recounts his adventures (and misadventures) in a style that makes you laugh whilst appreciating the gravity of the situations that many people across the world find themselves in. The focus on the human element and not of the machinations of states and controversial politics gives the book a sensitive and intelligent stance without becoming preachy or partisan.
The book's exploration into the traveler's psyche is interesting and not something I have ever particularly given much thought to before.
The book's exploration into the traveler's psyche is interesting and not something I have ever particularly given much thought to before.
October 29, 2017
Pretty engaging
Sometimes I thought the author was an insufferable git, but I believe he knows that sometimes he was. I appreciate the insight of this story and these places. Thank you for the honesty and clarity.
Sometimes I thought the author was an insufferable git, but I believe he knows that sometimes he was. I appreciate the insight of this story and these places. Thank you for the honesty and clarity.
August 2, 2018
A really entertaining account of Jamie Alexander's travels across the world with plenty of musings about the world, fairness, inequality and the politics of consumption. It is written with a wry wit and had me smiling on a number of occasions. Recommended.
February 16, 2020
Absolute Bore
Stopped reading this as I found the content and style extremely hard going and could not relate with the,writer at all
Stopped reading this as I found the content and style extremely hard going and could not relate with the,writer at all
January 11, 2013
A lot of travel books are just about the journey, the better ones have a sense of inner journey too. This book has so much more.
If I'm being brutally honest, I'd say it begins as a bit of a cliche. The author starts off on an adventurous, albeit (compared to what he does later) not overly exciting trip to Borneo where he becomes the first tourist to visit a village in the middle of the jungle. Among other things, he goes hunting, he "meets the locals" and learns, as he puts it, "all of life's lessons in one go". So far, so standard. But what sets his story apart is that he then realizes how silly it is to spend a week in a forest and come back enlightened, and so he seems to make it his life's mission to change that from then on.
What follows is a hugely entertaining story that draws together the many different strands of globalization into one the best description of the modern traveler I've ever read. It's philosophical in a hilarious way, political without being preachy, and incredibly insightful. On top of that, it also presents a powerful critique of the modern lifestyle.
What Garland's The Beach did for fiction travel, this does for non-fiction. It's an absolute must read.
If I'm being brutally honest, I'd say it begins as a bit of a cliche. The author starts off on an adventurous, albeit (compared to what he does later) not overly exciting trip to Borneo where he becomes the first tourist to visit a village in the middle of the jungle. Among other things, he goes hunting, he "meets the locals" and learns, as he puts it, "all of life's lessons in one go". So far, so standard. But what sets his story apart is that he then realizes how silly it is to spend a week in a forest and come back enlightened, and so he seems to make it his life's mission to change that from then on.
What follows is a hugely entertaining story that draws together the many different strands of globalization into one the best description of the modern traveler I've ever read. It's philosophical in a hilarious way, political without being preachy, and incredibly insightful. On top of that, it also presents a powerful critique of the modern lifestyle.
What Garland's The Beach did for fiction travel, this does for non-fiction. It's an absolute must read.
June 6, 2013
Travel narratives or travel memoirs are an interesting breed. Done well, the “where” isn’t all that important. Sure, you’ll get unique insights into the destination or destinations covered, but for details on that there are better sources. Instead, the genre unfailingly has a (hopefully) unique twist on one or both of two standard lessons. Either the author through their experience learns to understand himself or herself better in some way or they’re shown the truth of the cliché “people everywhere are the same.”
Nowhere Like Home has the normal lessons. However, it has another that is clearly the biggest lesson. While “people everywhere are the same” is a lesson that no matter how different we may be, people everywhere have the same basic hopes and dreams, the other lesson here is about the differences. How people in dissimilar areas and other cultures can have values and outlooks on the world and life that are also valid. That by understanding them better we can break down our own prejudices and often incorrect preconceptions, leading to a better understanding of the world and our place in it which, when I stop to think about it, takes us back to standard lesson #1.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Nowhere Like Home has the normal lessons. However, it has another that is clearly the biggest lesson. While “people everywhere are the same” is a lesson that no matter how different we may be, people everywhere have the same basic hopes and dreams, the other lesson here is about the differences. How people in dissimilar areas and other cultures can have values and outlooks on the world and life that are also valid. That by understanding them better we can break down our own prejudices and often incorrect preconceptions, leading to a better understanding of the world and our place in it which, when I stop to think about it, takes us back to standard lesson #1.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 9, 2015
I was initially bothered by the writing style in this book as he took an abbreviated trip to Borneo and then recounted an inane conversation with a Canadian woman at a youth hostel in Kuala Lumpur. The book started to get better though as he visited a remote part of Indonesia to discover the real story of some atrocities that were committed during the colonial era. I was happy to see that he was tackling some substantial issues and not just recounting various travel stories.
Later on in the book I started to feel disturbed by a pattern of his I noticed-he seems to get some kind of thrill by putting himself in very dangerous situations and occasionally hurting himself very badly. Ultimately I did not really enjoy this book. Since I have lived and worked in China for two years (I am American) I believe that the best way to learn about a culture is to live and work in a foreign country and not just visit it for a few weeks. I cannot give this book a very strong recommendation.
Later on in the book I started to feel disturbed by a pattern of his I noticed-he seems to get some kind of thrill by putting himself in very dangerous situations and occasionally hurting himself very badly. Ultimately I did not really enjoy this book. Since I have lived and worked in China for two years (I am American) I believe that the best way to learn about a culture is to live and work in a foreign country and not just visit it for a few weeks. I cannot give this book a very strong recommendation.
November 11, 2015
Real travel lit.
Like the author of this book, I am a travel junkie too, but also like him, not just for travels sake and the more I do it, the more i want to be a member of the society to where I travel - the goal being to understand better the people of the world, how the world works, and how best to help out one another. I think this author had similar questions he wanted answers for and that is what makes this book better than most travel lit. The book offers a taste of each society to where the author travels, plus a partial psychological viewpoint of what the author is thinking. The author is always questioning and even his final realization doesn't seem final, but organic, changing with his life experiences. Thus far there are only a couple of travel books I 5 star recommend, and this is one of them.
Like the author of this book, I am a travel junkie too, but also like him, not just for travels sake and the more I do it, the more i want to be a member of the society to where I travel - the goal being to understand better the people of the world, how the world works, and how best to help out one another. I think this author had similar questions he wanted answers for and that is what makes this book better than most travel lit. The book offers a taste of each society to where the author travels, plus a partial psychological viewpoint of what the author is thinking. The author is always questioning and even his final realization doesn't seem final, but organic, changing with his life experiences. Thus far there are only a couple of travel books I 5 star recommend, and this is one of them.
July 26, 2013
I really enjoyed this thought-provoking book. Jamie really does his best to show the human side of some terrible situations across the globe and his efforts to meet the people at the heart of them really pay off, adding a sense that he has made measured judgements about the politics he finds himself immersed in. A large part of the book is about the author becoming part of the adult world and I enjoyed this aspect of it. As a keen traveller I initially found it difficult to empathise with the extreme way he travels but ultimately i feel very inspired to maybe book ahead a little less in the future and to visit some more remote places. This a very well crafted book which will really make you think and is a fantastic example of its genre.
February 19, 2013
This book is great. Don't normally read travel books but a friend told me I'd like this and she was right. It's really funny, unexpectedly so, and thought provoking too. It's even made me question my career choice (which is probably not a good thing but there we go!) and I can't wait to go abroad again now. Probably not to the same crazy places the author goes though.
November 21, 2014
Great book
Poignant message. The young author matures as he travels the world to realize the painful truth of travel addiction and the toll it takes on under developed countries. Eye-opening message from one who has truly examined what's really going on out there.
Poignant message. The young author matures as he travels the world to realize the painful truth of travel addiction and the toll it takes on under developed countries. Eye-opening message from one who has truly examined what's really going on out there.
August 30, 2015
I enjoyed reading about the author's adventures in the Philippines, Nepal, and Papua New Guinea. That being said, I think I would have enjoyed them even more if he didn't come across as so self-centered.
November 28, 2016
Jamie's Travels and Thoughts
Very interesting account of a young man who is seeking a reason for the problems in the world. He talks and listens to the people involved in crisis-laden areas and tries to understand both sides of the issues.
Very interesting account of a young man who is seeking a reason for the problems in the world. He talks and listens to the people involved in crisis-laden areas and tries to understand both sides of the issues.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews