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Wide-Open World: How Volunteering Around the Globe Changed One Family's Lives Forever
For readers of Three Cups of Tea; Eat, Pray, Love; and Wild comes the inspiring story of an ordinary American family that embarks on an extraordinary journey. Wide-Open World follows the Marshall family as they volunteer their way around the globe, living in a monkey sanctuary in Costa Rica, teaching English in rural Thailand, and caring for orphans in India. There’s a name for this kind of endeavor— voluntourism —and it might just be the future of travel.
Oppressive heat, grueling bus rides, backbreaking work, and one vicious spider monkey . . . Best family vacation ever!
John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales.
Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones.
Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them.
Praise for Wide-Open World
“Marshall’s use of rich details locates readers firmly in each time and place, enabling them to sense the adventure, wonder and joy he experienced in his surroundings and in watching his children grow into hardworking, more responsible teens, as well as the frustrations and disappointments he and his family inevitably encountered along the way. A great armchair adventure that should inspire others to consider voluntourism as a way to help others and see the world.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Each new location combines beautiful scenery with a dose of sentiment, a good deal of humor, and some heartfelt consideration of the human condition. . . . His philosophy may not fit everyone and the ending is bittersweet, but this is an enticing call to service.” — Publishers Weekly
“ Wide-Open World is an adventure made up of countless small moments of human connection. It’s an armchair travelogue that may well inspire you to do good off the beaten path.” — BookPage
“For anyone who has ever imagined what it would be like to pack up, unplug, pull the kids out of school, and travel around the world, this volunteer adventure is your ticket. Wide-Open World will move, engage, and inspire you, even if you never leave the couch.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
Oppressive heat, grueling bus rides, backbreaking work, and one vicious spider monkey . . . Best family vacation ever!
John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales.
Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones.
Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them.
Praise for Wide-Open World
“Marshall’s use of rich details locates readers firmly in each time and place, enabling them to sense the adventure, wonder and joy he experienced in his surroundings and in watching his children grow into hardworking, more responsible teens, as well as the frustrations and disappointments he and his family inevitably encountered along the way. A great armchair adventure that should inspire others to consider voluntourism as a way to help others and see the world.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Each new location combines beautiful scenery with a dose of sentiment, a good deal of humor, and some heartfelt consideration of the human condition. . . . His philosophy may not fit everyone and the ending is bittersweet, but this is an enticing call to service.” — Publishers Weekly
“ Wide-Open World is an adventure made up of countless small moments of human connection. It’s an armchair travelogue that may well inspire you to do good off the beaten path.” — BookPage
“For anyone who has ever imagined what it would be like to pack up, unplug, pull the kids out of school, and travel around the world, this volunteer adventure is your ticket. Wide-Open World will move, engage, and inspire you, even if you never leave the couch.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
329 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2015
26 people are currently reading
1282 people want to read
About the author
John Marshall
1 book5 followersFor the past 12 years, John has worked in the television industry, writing and producing dozen of weekly programs. He was voted Maine’s Broadcaster of the Year in 2008 and has won 9 Emmy awards in such diverse categories as set design, musical composition, and art direction, among others. In addition to his work behind the camera, John is also an accomplished actor, hosting numerous shows and becoming one of the most recognizable faces on Maine TV in the process.
In 2010, John left his job and spent six months volunteering around the world with his wife and two teenage children. Working with a variety of service organizations all across the globe, this adventure ultimately became the subject of his first book, Wide-Open World, published by Ballantine Books / Random House in February of 2015.
Inspired by this experience, John lived at an Indian orphange for most of 2014 and is currently launching a non-profit called New Orphanage, that will seek to find and support the best orphan projects worldwide.
You can learn more about the author, Wide-Open World and New Orphanage at his website, www.JohnMarshall.com.
In 2010, John left his job and spent six months volunteering around the world with his wife and two teenage children. Working with a variety of service organizations all across the globe, this adventure ultimately became the subject of his first book, Wide-Open World, published by Ballantine Books / Random House in February of 2015.
Inspired by this experience, John lived at an Indian orphange for most of 2014 and is currently launching a non-profit called New Orphanage, that will seek to find and support the best orphan projects worldwide.
You can learn more about the author, Wide-Open World and New Orphanage at his website, www.JohnMarshall.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 19, 2015
And let's cue the unpopular opinion...
So, this review is going to make me sound a bit like a jerk. But then again, any review that's somewhat critical of a memoir comes out kind of jerky anyway because if you're me, you start to think "who am I to judge this person's experience? At least, they've overcome their issues! At least, they've done something worthy with their lives!" And the Marshall family has. They've traveled around the world volunteering. That pretty much beats anything that I do this year. But my jerkiness behavior aside, I thought Wide Open World was okay, but I wasn't really enamored by it.
The Good: Oh, the yens I have for traveling are so immense! I'm dying to travel. I just don't have the time nor the funds to travel at the moment (hoping I can travel this summer, though). I love living vicariously through people (both fictional and otherwise) who have traveled and I love reading about new places and new cultures. So, the best part about Wide-Open World was learning a bit about places such as Thailand and Costa Rica, and India, etc. It made me want to put the book down, book a ticket, and just go off anywhere, responsibilities be damned! (I have no kids, so I can say that). While I did curb this desire somewhat, this book has done nothing to curb my thirst for travel and in fact, has exacerbated it. So, kudos for that.
And here comes the jerkiness: I kind of feel like this book should be titled Wide Open World: An Interesting Around the World Trip Done By A Very Bland Family. (And I feel like a jerk for saying that because I am probably the most non-interesting person you will ever meet). It's just I found myself bored by the Marshall's familial drama. It just wasn't as interesting to me. I wanted to see the family dance with more monkeys, or battle more snakes, or engage with the locals more. Instead, I was constantly brought back to the past where a bit of angst took place, and I was bored. Oh, and the author kind of failed in not making his daughter seemed like a spoiled brat...because she did. And I get that she's a teenager and that a lot of them are bratty, but I say this in every review I write of a book that has a bratty teenager in it: just because bratty teenagers exist, doesn't mean I want to read about them.
Another teeny (tiny) thing that bothered me about Wide Open World was the fact that I kept having this urge to create a time machine, go back to a time before this book was written, and hand the author a thesaurus with all of the synonyms for the word "beautiful" highlighted because he used it way too many times.
Overall, I did like Wide-Open World and despite the minor issues I have with it, I do still recommend it (kind of). I just wish I would have found the family more interesting than I did.
So, this review is going to make me sound a bit like a jerk. But then again, any review that's somewhat critical of a memoir comes out kind of jerky anyway because if you're me, you start to think "who am I to judge this person's experience? At least, they've overcome their issues! At least, they've done something worthy with their lives!" And the Marshall family has. They've traveled around the world volunteering. That pretty much beats anything that I do this year. But my jerkiness behavior aside, I thought Wide Open World was okay, but I wasn't really enamored by it.
The Good: Oh, the yens I have for traveling are so immense! I'm dying to travel. I just don't have the time nor the funds to travel at the moment (hoping I can travel this summer, though). I love living vicariously through people (both fictional and otherwise) who have traveled and I love reading about new places and new cultures. So, the best part about Wide-Open World was learning a bit about places such as Thailand and Costa Rica, and India, etc. It made me want to put the book down, book a ticket, and just go off anywhere, responsibilities be damned! (I have no kids, so I can say that). While I did curb this desire somewhat, this book has done nothing to curb my thirst for travel and in fact, has exacerbated it. So, kudos for that.
And here comes the jerkiness: I kind of feel like this book should be titled Wide Open World: An Interesting Around the World Trip Done By A Very Bland Family. (And I feel like a jerk for saying that because I am probably the most non-interesting person you will ever meet). It's just I found myself bored by the Marshall's familial drama. It just wasn't as interesting to me. I wanted to see the family dance with more monkeys, or battle more snakes, or engage with the locals more. Instead, I was constantly brought back to the past where a bit of angst took place, and I was bored. Oh, and the author kind of failed in not making his daughter seemed like a spoiled brat...because she did. And I get that she's a teenager and that a lot of them are bratty, but I say this in every review I write of a book that has a bratty teenager in it: just because bratty teenagers exist, doesn't mean I want to read about them.
Another teeny (tiny) thing that bothered me about Wide Open World was the fact that I kept having this urge to create a time machine, go back to a time before this book was written, and hand the author a thesaurus with all of the synonyms for the word "beautiful" highlighted because he used it way too many times.
Overall, I did like Wide-Open World and despite the minor issues I have with it, I do still recommend it (kind of). I just wish I would have found the family more interesting than I did.
August 15, 2024
I didn’t know I needed to read this book. It wasn’t even on my radar, or should I say “ever-growing TBR pile”? I was searching for books with Costa Rica as the setting (hoping for fiction) and came across Wide-Open World. It has 572 ratings on Goodreads. This book needs a bigger audience. I loved it. John Marshall is a gifted writer. I couldn’t put the book down as I read about how he packed up his family with 2 teen children and embarked on a 6 month volunteering tour of the globe.
April 1, 2015
There are a number of memoirs available written by people who take the trip of a lifetime and then share their stories. What sets John Marshall’s account aside is first and foremost that he is not a young, single person taking a gap year, and second, he writing is a wonderfully deft, often humorous, dance amongst joy and sorrow. Not only is John not young and single, but he took along on his journey his wife and their two teenage children. To anyone who is also a parent, that adds an additional allure to this memoir. Their choice as a family was to unplug and detach, to spend six months in places with little or no internet, phone service, or even running water and electricity. The original mantra that kept running through John’s head was “year of service”, and his wife, Traca, and the kids were more than happy to buy into the idea, which they modified to six months to better accommodate the kids’ desire to return to Maine in time to start school in the fall.
Marshall and his wife had often thought of extended travel, but it just never seemed to be the right time to pack up their lives and launch. Eventually, they came to the realization that the time is never “right” and that if they were going to ever go they would need to just take off. They packed up their son, Logan, aged seventeen, and their daughter, Jackson, who was fourteen and headed for Costa Rica’s Osa Wildlife Refuge, where they worked with monkeys. Other stops along the way included organic farming in New Zealand, teaching English in a village school in Thailand, exploring yoga and buddhism and helping orphans in India, and finally, a visit to a small village in Portugal where the family had spent a year when the children were pre-schoolers.
As great as their international travel experience was, John infuses his story with many additional elements. Beyond the growth that they all were blessed with through serving in various capacities, John tells a story of marriage, family, and self-discovery. What saves this book from becoming a pedestrian life story is the depth of insight John is willing to honestly portray and his gift for seeing (and being able to smoothly shape into a narrative) the humor in all things. He successfully tread the fine line between sharing an candid and relatable tale and maintaining respect for his wife’s and children’s privacy.
If, when I receive a galley of a book from a publisher, as I did with this one, and I get my review out after the publication date, I like to address some of the criticisms from other early reviewers. Several reviewers mentioned that they felt that although the book is marketed as a family’s story, it was really John’s. Of course it is John’s memoir. He is the author, and the book is told from his viewpoint. I felt he did an excellent job sharing insights and experiences that were related to him or experienced together with the other family members. The reader also has the opportunity to see, through John’s musings, the persona of each person at the outset of the trip and how they changed as they worked their way from place to place. Another complaint is that the daughter, Jackson, is portrayed rather unsympathetically as a self-centered teen. I didn’t see that at all. Jackson was, I felt, at the outset, a fairly typical representation of an American girl of her generation. I loved her part in the story because I felt that she grew the most of any family member; John gives the impression that he thought so too.
At the conclusion of his memoir, John gives a very brief sketch of what happened with all of them in the years after they returned home to Maine. He also lays out a brief summary of how their family, on a working class income, was able to finance the trip and gives some advice about finding reputable service vacation opportunities online.
I absolutely recommend this book for any armchair traveler or those thinking that they might like to take their family on a similar service oriented vacation. The only reason this book came up half a star short of perfect for me was that I would have liked tighter editing—it was a tad lengthy. John has a great website at johnmarshall.com,
which I highly recommend checking out after you read the book—lots of great pictures! However, I do recommend not logging on before finishing, as it will spoil the memoir’s ending.
Marshall and his wife had often thought of extended travel, but it just never seemed to be the right time to pack up their lives and launch. Eventually, they came to the realization that the time is never “right” and that if they were going to ever go they would need to just take off. They packed up their son, Logan, aged seventeen, and their daughter, Jackson, who was fourteen and headed for Costa Rica’s Osa Wildlife Refuge, where they worked with monkeys. Other stops along the way included organic farming in New Zealand, teaching English in a village school in Thailand, exploring yoga and buddhism and helping orphans in India, and finally, a visit to a small village in Portugal where the family had spent a year when the children were pre-schoolers.
As great as their international travel experience was, John infuses his story with many additional elements. Beyond the growth that they all were blessed with through serving in various capacities, John tells a story of marriage, family, and self-discovery. What saves this book from becoming a pedestrian life story is the depth of insight John is willing to honestly portray and his gift for seeing (and being able to smoothly shape into a narrative) the humor in all things. He successfully tread the fine line between sharing an candid and relatable tale and maintaining respect for his wife’s and children’s privacy.
If, when I receive a galley of a book from a publisher, as I did with this one, and I get my review out after the publication date, I like to address some of the criticisms from other early reviewers. Several reviewers mentioned that they felt that although the book is marketed as a family’s story, it was really John’s. Of course it is John’s memoir. He is the author, and the book is told from his viewpoint. I felt he did an excellent job sharing insights and experiences that were related to him or experienced together with the other family members. The reader also has the opportunity to see, through John’s musings, the persona of each person at the outset of the trip and how they changed as they worked their way from place to place. Another complaint is that the daughter, Jackson, is portrayed rather unsympathetically as a self-centered teen. I didn’t see that at all. Jackson was, I felt, at the outset, a fairly typical representation of an American girl of her generation. I loved her part in the story because I felt that she grew the most of any family member; John gives the impression that he thought so too.
At the conclusion of his memoir, John gives a very brief sketch of what happened with all of them in the years after they returned home to Maine. He also lays out a brief summary of how their family, on a working class income, was able to finance the trip and gives some advice about finding reputable service vacation opportunities online.
I absolutely recommend this book for any armchair traveler or those thinking that they might like to take their family on a similar service oriented vacation. The only reason this book came up half a star short of perfect for me was that I would have liked tighter editing—it was a tad lengthy. John has a great website at johnmarshall.com,
which I highly recommend checking out after you read the book—lots of great pictures! However, I do recommend not logging on before finishing, as it will spoil the memoir’s ending.
August 20, 2015
I absolutely loved this book. Like really loved it. It wasn't necessarily always the greatest from start to finish- I did find some areas bogged down a bit, or just weren't as interesting to me as others. However, it didn't matter. I still loved it.
John Marshall and his wife had a struggling marriage, and they were losing contact with their children, one of which was retreating heavily into the world of technology and friends. Marshall's teenage daughter was a typical American teen, glued to her phone and her friends. One day, Marshall decided enough was enough. The family was going to make some changes, together. The best part: they were going to make these changes by helping other people, in far off distant locales.
Marshall and his family volunteered in a few different places over the course of the year - a monkey sanctuary in Costa Rica, an orphanage in India, teaching English in Thailand. They also volunteered as WOOFERs, which is a program where people volunteer on an organic farm. I was most fascinated by the family's time at the monkey sanctuary and at the orphanage. Those two experiences really struck something within me, and drew me in. I just didn't connect with the other adventures the way I did with these two. I actually could have read more about those two experiences, what we got just wasn't enough.
If this seems like an Eat, Pray, Love experience, it kind of is. However, at the end of this book, not everything ends hunky dory. I loved Marshall's commitment to being honest and open about what happened with his family over the course of this year. Also, another neat feature is at the end of the book, Marshall breaks down how his family managed to take an entire year off and also broke down the financial aspect of the trip as well, which I really wanted to know.
I feel inspired by this book. I love books that inspire me, and this one certainly did. I see voluntourism in the future for my family, and I can't wait!
John Marshall and his wife had a struggling marriage, and they were losing contact with their children, one of which was retreating heavily into the world of technology and friends. Marshall's teenage daughter was a typical American teen, glued to her phone and her friends. One day, Marshall decided enough was enough. The family was going to make some changes, together. The best part: they were going to make these changes by helping other people, in far off distant locales.
Marshall and his family volunteered in a few different places over the course of the year - a monkey sanctuary in Costa Rica, an orphanage in India, teaching English in Thailand. They also volunteered as WOOFERs, which is a program where people volunteer on an organic farm. I was most fascinated by the family's time at the monkey sanctuary and at the orphanage. Those two experiences really struck something within me, and drew me in. I just didn't connect with the other adventures the way I did with these two. I actually could have read more about those two experiences, what we got just wasn't enough.
If this seems like an Eat, Pray, Love experience, it kind of is. However, at the end of this book, not everything ends hunky dory. I loved Marshall's commitment to being honest and open about what happened with his family over the course of this year. Also, another neat feature is at the end of the book, Marshall breaks down how his family managed to take an entire year off and also broke down the financial aspect of the trip as well, which I really wanted to know.
I feel inspired by this book. I love books that inspire me, and this one certainly did. I see voluntourism in the future for my family, and I can't wait!
January 11, 2015
This book brought me right back to the year I spend traveling solo around the world and I Ioved reliving being treated like a pop star celebrity in rural Thailand, awed by the Himalayas and the kindness of Tibetan people, and careening way too close to the side of a (guardrail-less) mountain road on an overcrowded bus (for the author it was India, but mine happened in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco). I give so much credit to the author for doing this all with kids!!! My own won't even tolerate garnish on their plain pasta, so I don't see a trip like this in our immediate future, but it was nice to daydream while I read. I also really liked the tone of the story- it was a breezy read that had some great punches of insight. I hope people discover this one!
July 15, 2015
When I brought this book home from the library all my kids groaned. "That looks like a dangerous book", they said. Like the author's wife, I am a yoga teacher and wanna-be world traveler. It has been a long held dream of mine to visit the Osa peninsula, travel to Thailand and volunteer in an orphanage in India and just last week I was looking at ashrams in Rishikish. (I'm not making this up, the similarities between our family and the author's were almost spooky)So, while I don't agree with taking out a second mortgage on your home to fund such a trip, I was thoroughly inspired. Now I just need to get the kids on board!
August 29, 2021
3.5. When I read Tsh Oxenreider’s book At Home in the World, I was bothered by the absence of “place” in her writing. Her family traveled around the world, but I had little sense of the different countries and cultures they visited. In contrast, John Marshall does a great job with this. I could vividly picture all of the experiences they had, and the descriptions were rich and evocative. My enjoyment was tampered, however, by the ambivalence I felt for the author and his family. Though Marshall fully acknowledged cultural differences between his children and the children he met in India and Tibet, I didn’t always feel like he fully recognized his own White, Western privilege. (It’s also entirely possible that I didn’t connect completely with this book—or the Marshall family—simply because I don’t have children.) Readers who liked Oxenreider’s book should definitely check this out, however. I think they would love it.
August 25, 2021
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I have always wanted to sell everything and take a year to travel the country/world. The idea of doing that with the focus of volunteering is even better. This book definitely took me places: a wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica, farming in New Zealand, teaching English in Thailand, and volunteering at an orphanage in India among other places. All of these locations provided entertaining stories for the reader and unforgettable moments of growth for the family.
I will say several things in the book didn't paint this family in the best light. They came across as entitled and spoiled and were even called out on it during a few volunteer opportunities. I do appreciate that he was upfront with all of their shortcomings but some things made them feel a little icky.
I will say several things in the book didn't paint this family in the best light. They came across as entitled and spoiled and were even called out on it during a few volunteer opportunities. I do appreciate that he was upfront with all of their shortcomings but some things made them feel a little icky.
September 2, 2021
I enjoyed this tale of voluntourism! I liked all the stories of different people and places. I thought the author did a great job of describing his and his family’s experience with the people they met and helped and the places they got to explore.
I especially liked one of his last comments, you are not going to change the world but it will change you. I liked hearing about how the volunteerism changed him and his perspective. And, going by what he said about his kids’ futures, his kids’ lives were changed for the better too.
I recommend this to anyone thinking of doing a trip like this, not as a guide, but as a description of what you might feel and how you might be changed.
I especially liked one of his last comments, you are not going to change the world but it will change you. I liked hearing about how the volunteerism changed him and his perspective. And, going by what he said about his kids’ futures, his kids’ lives were changed for the better too.
I recommend this to anyone thinking of doing a trip like this, not as a guide, but as a description of what you might feel and how you might be changed.
September 16, 2015
I'm not sure how ordinary this family is because the more you get to know them individually as the story unfolds, the more you realize that they are extraordinary. But the problems they faced with their teenagers and the growing distance in their marriage is all too common. The grand idea of "a year of giving" and the boldness by which actually manage to step into the wide world and a cascade of disparate experiences on several different continents is inspiring to those of us stuck in the trenches of midlife. That they came back on the brink of catastrophe and pushed thru is a testament of faith and determination. If not willing to make such a crazy departure in your own life, reading the book at least shakes you and wakes you up to the concept of doing more, being more and giving more. It's not too late, you too can too do! Although the ending was a touch bittersweet, you still walk away from the book with your head buzzing with infinite possibilities.
June 27, 2020
I was so excited to start reading this book because it had so much that appeals to my life specifically, but unfortunately it ended up devolving into the worst aspects of “volun-tourism”. The most telling quote summing up the entire book is this: “Whether it was wrong or right, helping or hurting, that’s what I did.“
In the first few chapters I was a little skeptical. Even though the writing is surprisingly good, there was so much detail about each of the author’s family members that I worried the focus of the book would be on their individual transformations rather than the experiences they were going to have all over the world, but that didn’t end up becoming too much of a problem. What did end up grating is that he paints his family as incredibly unlikable. His teenage kids are bratty and self-centered and I feel bad for how he portrays them and his (future ex)wife throughout the entire book. Also, to say they traveled the world is a bit of stretch as they visit 4 countries total.
The first part about the animal sanctuary in Costa Rica had me writhing in jealousy and laughing at the author’s mishaps with the monkeys. This is where his kids start to come off as entitled and annoying, not showing up to work on time, goofing off scuba diving in the middle of the day, but the author’s loving descriptions of them helps to soften it a little bit and they seem to get their acts together for a while. In their defense, I could totally imagine my disgust if my family had tried to drag me out of school to a foreign country to live with them in a one-room cabin in the woods, even if the idea of doing that as an adult absolutely delights me. From the first sanctuary they volunteer at, which seemed reasonably decent, they move on to other sketchier places and I started to question the author’s motives in taking and planning (or not planning, as the situation became) this “year of service”.
What initially kept me reading was when I saw that Part Two was about WWOOFing. I don’t know if the acronym has changed since Marshall’s memoir, but it stands for WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms (not Willing Workers, like he wrote) but it’s definitely high up on my list of things I want to do at some point, though most locations only pay you in room and board (which is still amazing, just not quite aligned with my plans for a working holiday). And to my delight, they actually did their WWOOFing in New Zealand! Unfortunately, this proved to be the most reasonable and ethical volun-tourism they do in the book. Things started going way downhill from there.
It starts out cringe-y but just continues to snowball. What I originally found interesting and sweet became way too deeply personal. The author’s stories about wrestling with religion as a child were the breaking point of tolerance for me, and his kids and former wife must be mortified by how much detail he put into their personal affairs.
Marshall openly admits to doing little to no research into any of the places they volunteer. He recommends people volunteer places merely because “it feels good” and suggests following in his footsteps by googling the name of a country and the word “volunteer”. It was an an enjoyable read, but the further I got into it, the more I started to doubt the ethics of the author and his family’s choices. There are a few sentences spared for acknowledging their privilege, but a lot more spent on describing how much the children and families they came into contact with in Thailand and India worshiped and loved them for their white skin.
They “volunteer” at an orphanage in India where they openly admit there was pretty much nothing helpful for them to do, so they just played with the kids for a month and threw a talent show. A lot of page space is spent talking about how disappointed his son is that the Indian girls tease him where the Thai girls were all madly in love with him. He complains endlessly about not being appreciated as a parent. “Why can’t my kids be as grateful as these poor Indian children/orphans?!” The author spends a long time describing the lavish praise laid upon them all by the Thai students they “taught” English for a month (with absolutely no teaching background or training of any kind) even though he is also brazenly open about the fact that he couldn’t care less about learning other languages himself.
The lowest point of the book for me was when his family gets the chance to see the Dalai Lama speak. There are thousands of people there, many who have traveled far distances in poor conditions, many walking and sleeping outside in order to attend this historic event and consider themselves lucky to sit on the floor way back from the stage just to be in the presence of this religious leader. And Marshall and his family, by his own admission, show up LATE and when there aren’t any fold out chairs left for Westerners, they decide to just SIT ON THE STAGE and were smugly proud of somehow being the only people permitted to do it. And to make it even better, they thought it was boring so they didn’t even bother returning the next day to see more of the talks.
To top it off, in the epilogue the author casually reveals that he and his ex-wife are anti-vaxxers!! I can only imagine what his response is to COVID right now. He does randomly throw in a plea to cut down on plastic water bottle usage at the end though?? What is even happening here?
I did enjoy how honest and transparent the author was throughout about their plans. Even though the first few chapters build up to the idea of their big “year of service” to begin in October, they don’t manage to set out until February and they cut their trip down to 6 months so that their oldest son could have a full senior year at school. Marshall even includes specific dollar amounts on what they saved and what it cost to fly to these areas and book their weird working-vacations.
In an attempt to be fair I will say that they mention in the end that the author went back to the Indian orphanage later and helps them out for a bit before going on to start a non-profit recognizing well-run orphanages or something. I guess that’s cool.
Overall I think this book does way more harm than good and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Stories like these promote an unethical version of tourism while convincing people that they’re “helping” (or like the author, sometimes even aware you may be actively causing harm!) as a way to save money on your world tour. They got to have a cheap, life-changing trip out of their comfort zone, but at what cost to the locals they left in their dust?
In the first few chapters I was a little skeptical. Even though the writing is surprisingly good, there was so much detail about each of the author’s family members that I worried the focus of the book would be on their individual transformations rather than the experiences they were going to have all over the world, but that didn’t end up becoming too much of a problem. What did end up grating is that he paints his family as incredibly unlikable. His teenage kids are bratty and self-centered and I feel bad for how he portrays them and his (future ex)wife throughout the entire book. Also, to say they traveled the world is a bit of stretch as they visit 4 countries total.
The first part about the animal sanctuary in Costa Rica had me writhing in jealousy and laughing at the author’s mishaps with the monkeys. This is where his kids start to come off as entitled and annoying, not showing up to work on time, goofing off scuba diving in the middle of the day, but the author’s loving descriptions of them helps to soften it a little bit and they seem to get their acts together for a while. In their defense, I could totally imagine my disgust if my family had tried to drag me out of school to a foreign country to live with them in a one-room cabin in the woods, even if the idea of doing that as an adult absolutely delights me. From the first sanctuary they volunteer at, which seemed reasonably decent, they move on to other sketchier places and I started to question the author’s motives in taking and planning (or not planning, as the situation became) this “year of service”.
What initially kept me reading was when I saw that Part Two was about WWOOFing. I don’t know if the acronym has changed since Marshall’s memoir, but it stands for WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms (not Willing Workers, like he wrote) but it’s definitely high up on my list of things I want to do at some point, though most locations only pay you in room and board (which is still amazing, just not quite aligned with my plans for a working holiday). And to my delight, they actually did their WWOOFing in New Zealand! Unfortunately, this proved to be the most reasonable and ethical volun-tourism they do in the book. Things started going way downhill from there.
It starts out cringe-y but just continues to snowball. What I originally found interesting and sweet became way too deeply personal. The author’s stories about wrestling with religion as a child were the breaking point of tolerance for me, and his kids and former wife must be mortified by how much detail he put into their personal affairs.
Marshall openly admits to doing little to no research into any of the places they volunteer. He recommends people volunteer places merely because “it feels good” and suggests following in his footsteps by googling the name of a country and the word “volunteer”. It was an an enjoyable read, but the further I got into it, the more I started to doubt the ethics of the author and his family’s choices. There are a few sentences spared for acknowledging their privilege, but a lot more spent on describing how much the children and families they came into contact with in Thailand and India worshiped and loved them for their white skin.
They “volunteer” at an orphanage in India where they openly admit there was pretty much nothing helpful for them to do, so they just played with the kids for a month and threw a talent show. A lot of page space is spent talking about how disappointed his son is that the Indian girls tease him where the Thai girls were all madly in love with him. He complains endlessly about not being appreciated as a parent. “Why can’t my kids be as grateful as these poor Indian children/orphans?!” The author spends a long time describing the lavish praise laid upon them all by the Thai students they “taught” English for a month (with absolutely no teaching background or training of any kind) even though he is also brazenly open about the fact that he couldn’t care less about learning other languages himself.
The lowest point of the book for me was when his family gets the chance to see the Dalai Lama speak. There are thousands of people there, many who have traveled far distances in poor conditions, many walking and sleeping outside in order to attend this historic event and consider themselves lucky to sit on the floor way back from the stage just to be in the presence of this religious leader. And Marshall and his family, by his own admission, show up LATE and when there aren’t any fold out chairs left for Westerners, they decide to just SIT ON THE STAGE and were smugly proud of somehow being the only people permitted to do it. And to make it even better, they thought it was boring so they didn’t even bother returning the next day to see more of the talks.
To top it off, in the epilogue the author casually reveals that he and his ex-wife are anti-vaxxers!! I can only imagine what his response is to COVID right now. He does randomly throw in a plea to cut down on plastic water bottle usage at the end though?? What is even happening here?
I did enjoy how honest and transparent the author was throughout about their plans. Even though the first few chapters build up to the idea of their big “year of service” to begin in October, they don’t manage to set out until February and they cut their trip down to 6 months so that their oldest son could have a full senior year at school. Marshall even includes specific dollar amounts on what they saved and what it cost to fly to these areas and book their weird working-vacations.
In an attempt to be fair I will say that they mention in the end that the author went back to the Indian orphanage later and helps them out for a bit before going on to start a non-profit recognizing well-run orphanages or something. I guess that’s cool.
Overall I think this book does way more harm than good and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Stories like these promote an unethical version of tourism while convincing people that they’re “helping” (or like the author, sometimes even aware you may be actively causing harm!) as a way to save money on your world tour. They got to have a cheap, life-changing trip out of their comfort zone, but at what cost to the locals they left in their dust?
November 23, 2014
What fascinates me most about this book is the story Marshall didn't tell, the story of the dissolution of his marriage. He writes as if his first concern is to protect the privacy and dignity of his family, which is noble from a human point of view, but not so good for readers who want to hear all the gory details. There's way too much about transportation difficulties, way too little about humans and relationships. As a result, this comes off like an especially long holiday letter updating Marshall's friends on the wild stuff he's been up to over the past year.
Unrelated and upsetting: Marshall and his wife are anti-vaxxers.
Unrelated and upsetting: Marshall and his wife are anti-vaxxers.
August 10, 2015
Was ok, liked reading about the places and people they met, not so much about the constant soul searching / kids / marital issues.
Really disliked parts where entitlement showed through, like showing up late and expecting and getting amazing preferential treatment.
Gave +1 star for authors honesty in conveying how family felt in certain situations, especially as it doesn't always show the family in the best light.
Really disliked parts where entitlement showed through, like showing up late and expecting and getting amazing preferential treatment.
Gave +1 star for authors honesty in conveying how family felt in certain situations, especially as it doesn't always show the family in the best light.
November 1, 2015
I really enjoyed this family's journey in volunteering! This is a wonderful privilege and opportunity... I'd love to do something like this. John did a great job expressing each of the places and experiences that happened in those locations. I also loved reading of the growth within the family. Great read! I was lucky enough to have won this in a giveaway.
May 12, 2015
Totally awesome read
Three words changed the lives of the Marshall family, can the do the same for you. This is more than a travel book, it is humorous, full of cultural richness and healthy family dynamics. Costa Rica, New Zealand, India, Portugal and their people came alive with vivid characterization and loving description. I could not put the book down.
Three words changed the lives of the Marshall family, can the do the same for you. This is more than a travel book, it is humorous, full of cultural richness and healthy family dynamics. Costa Rica, New Zealand, India, Portugal and their people came alive with vivid characterization and loving description. I could not put the book down.
June 18, 2019
10/10 will read this book again when I’m ready to take my family (gotta make one first ;)) around the world! A heart-warming quilt of adventure, coming of age, and stories of relationships; Wide-Open World is inspiring.
June 26, 2019
more like, 3.5 but i'm giving it four cause it really does give you that travel spark.
my boss, the Librarian at the library I worked at up until a couple of weeks ago, recommended this to me. she's very excited about what the future holds for me, and has often suggested travelling. she'd told me before of things she would have done had she not met her current husband and started a family almost immediately after finishing her degree to become the amazing librarian that she is today. she was so excited about what i might do next, she proposed i joined the peace corps only to remember a few moments later that only americans can.
anyway, I thought about her with every word, every sentence. the kind of support and encouragement she has given me throughout and employment and even after is something that I know I won't get much of going forwards. I appreciate it so much, and I've thanked her so many times for it that she's probably grown tired of it.
I don't know what I'll do next but, given that a colleague of mine had already introduced me to the idea of WOOFing, maybe reading this book was just another sign from the universe. the idea that so many people think I should travel, that they see me doing things around the globe instead of back home, it speaks to something deep within me.
about the book itself, I liked it. maybe it was a bit---- extra, at times, but it felt genuine enough (mainly, the parts about his daughter Jackson being absolutely obsessed and addicted to technology and social media got a bit tiring) but I really appreciated the writing style given it moved at a very good pace and didn't leave me wishing he'd just move along with it.
it's a good read, you don't have to like the author to appreciate the message he's trying to convey (although I'll admit it does feel a bit patronising at times-- we get it, travelling and mixing with people of different cultures opens the mind and the heart and the soul. it IS a great message, but maybe to someone who already knows and doesn't need the lesson it can feel a bit holier-than-thou).
still, it's a great source of inspiration and I truly believe that anyone speaking from such an experience is bound to give good tips to those looking to go on a similar adventure.
my boss, the Librarian at the library I worked at up until a couple of weeks ago, recommended this to me. she's very excited about what the future holds for me, and has often suggested travelling. she'd told me before of things she would have done had she not met her current husband and started a family almost immediately after finishing her degree to become the amazing librarian that she is today. she was so excited about what i might do next, she proposed i joined the peace corps only to remember a few moments later that only americans can.
anyway, I thought about her with every word, every sentence. the kind of support and encouragement she has given me throughout and employment and even after is something that I know I won't get much of going forwards. I appreciate it so much, and I've thanked her so many times for it that she's probably grown tired of it.
I don't know what I'll do next but, given that a colleague of mine had already introduced me to the idea of WOOFing, maybe reading this book was just another sign from the universe. the idea that so many people think I should travel, that they see me doing things around the globe instead of back home, it speaks to something deep within me.
about the book itself, I liked it. maybe it was a bit---- extra, at times, but it felt genuine enough (mainly, the parts about his daughter Jackson being absolutely obsessed and addicted to technology and social media got a bit tiring) but I really appreciated the writing style given it moved at a very good pace and didn't leave me wishing he'd just move along with it.
it's a good read, you don't have to like the author to appreciate the message he's trying to convey (although I'll admit it does feel a bit patronising at times-- we get it, travelling and mixing with people of different cultures opens the mind and the heart and the soul. it IS a great message, but maybe to someone who already knows and doesn't need the lesson it can feel a bit holier-than-thou).
still, it's a great source of inspiration and I truly believe that anyone speaking from such an experience is bound to give good tips to those looking to go on a similar adventure.
May 6, 2018
Wide-Open World is what happens when Eat. Pray. Love. has kids! I was so inspired by this family's courage and adventurousness in packing up, picking up, and pitching in to make a tangible difference in the world! My favorite quotes from this memoir take place at Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission, an orphanage in India:
God is love...
He is the love that creates orphanages when the need for them arises.
The love that dives in and rescues a boy who does not even realize he needs rescuing.
He is the love that carefully gathers stones so a friend’s feet don’t get wet.
Faith for these boys was not something to debate or deny. It was something to hold onto, a lifeline for them when the world had tossed them aside. It was their lullaby. In a very real sense, it was their Father...For me to cast any doubt into their lives, these boys whom I had come to love, filled me with a sense of shame that made me blush and sweat and backpedal with every ounce of sincerity in my body...I remembered the gift Kamal had placed in my pocket before my nap. Pulling it out, I found a pink plastic Easter egg with a smaller green plastic egg inside. Inside the green egg was a small blue marble, scratched and chipped from use but still – like a child’s faith – clear and brilliant in the afternoon light.
We all have the power to affect the lives of others, just by reaching out, by trying, by showing up. We don’t have to save the world or even have much of a plan. We just have to place ourselves in the same room where there is a need and see what happens. What we will be asked to do and how we will be used are things that will unfold. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take much time. All it takes is a little faith and a willingness to give. It’s almost selfish, really. For if I touched Job’s life, he most certainly touched mine, and that is both the beauty and the reward that all giving holds.
This book will undoubtedly touch your life as well! A must-read for travelers (or wanderlust hearts). Check out the video at http://johnmarshall.com/wide -open-world/
God is love...
He is the love that creates orphanages when the need for them arises.
The love that dives in and rescues a boy who does not even realize he needs rescuing.
He is the love that carefully gathers stones so a friend’s feet don’t get wet.
Faith for these boys was not something to debate or deny. It was something to hold onto, a lifeline for them when the world had tossed them aside. It was their lullaby. In a very real sense, it was their Father...For me to cast any doubt into their lives, these boys whom I had come to love, filled me with a sense of shame that made me blush and sweat and backpedal with every ounce of sincerity in my body...I remembered the gift Kamal had placed in my pocket before my nap. Pulling it out, I found a pink plastic Easter egg with a smaller green plastic egg inside. Inside the green egg was a small blue marble, scratched and chipped from use but still – like a child’s faith – clear and brilliant in the afternoon light.
We all have the power to affect the lives of others, just by reaching out, by trying, by showing up. We don’t have to save the world or even have much of a plan. We just have to place ourselves in the same room where there is a need and see what happens. What we will be asked to do and how we will be used are things that will unfold. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take much time. All it takes is a little faith and a willingness to give. It’s almost selfish, really. For if I touched Job’s life, he most certainly touched mine, and that is both the beauty and the reward that all giving holds.
This book will undoubtedly touch your life as well! A must-read for travelers (or wanderlust hearts). Check out the video at http://johnmarshall.com/wide -open-world/
March 31, 2025
I rrrreally enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. I think I’d love an adventure like this with the family- FOR the family. To get out of norms and to try something new- but also- oh how hard this would be to do! But what an experience- I can’t think of anything better to help my girls have a little more gratitude for all they’ve been blessed with in this world they live in. Loved this book.
Favorite quotes:
“sometimes one good impulsive decision can make all the difference.”
“the power we all have to affect the lives of others, just by reaching out, by trying, by showing up. We don’t have to save the world or even have much of a plan. We just have to place ourselves in the same room where there is need and see what happens. What we will be asked to do and how we will be used are things that will unfold. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take much time. All it takes is a little faith and a willingness to give. It’s almost selfish, really.”
““It is simple,” he said. “If you are rich, you are a failure.” “Why would you say that?” I wondered. “Because,” the man said, his smile widening, his wrinkles deepening, “that means you have not learned to share with other people.”
“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU”
“You will not change the world. But the world will definitely change you.”
Favorite quotes:
“sometimes one good impulsive decision can make all the difference.”
“the power we all have to affect the lives of others, just by reaching out, by trying, by showing up. We don’t have to save the world or even have much of a plan. We just have to place ourselves in the same room where there is need and see what happens. What we will be asked to do and how we will be used are things that will unfold. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take much time. All it takes is a little faith and a willingness to give. It’s almost selfish, really.”
““It is simple,” he said. “If you are rich, you are a failure.” “Why would you say that?” I wondered. “Because,” the man said, his smile widening, his wrinkles deepening, “that means you have not learned to share with other people.”
“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character. —HENRY DAVID THOREAU”
“You will not change the world. But the world will definitely change you.”
September 8, 2022
I found this book a fascinating read. It had lots of good stories, a couple of crazy ones, and it didn’t always gloss over the hardships. It also included lots of tangible tips for wannabe travelers, which I found interesting, as well as informative.
I listened to audiobook and I’m curious if there are pictures in the hard copy. I’d love to see some of these places they visited and the people they met.
The part I didn’t love so much was the story arc between the couple themselves. As a writer I know you need a big picture story to bring it all together but it also felt a little like, “let’s go around the world to save our marriage.” And that wasn’t something I really wanted to delve into.
I also wish there would have been more insights from his kids. The small inclusions from them at the end were so interesting and it’s obvious their experiences changes their world view, I just wanted to hear about it more from their perspective.
Overall, I’d recommend it, especially if you are interested in wwoofing or voluntourism.
I listened to audiobook and I’m curious if there are pictures in the hard copy. I’d love to see some of these places they visited and the people they met.
The part I didn’t love so much was the story arc between the couple themselves. As a writer I know you need a big picture story to bring it all together but it also felt a little like, “let’s go around the world to save our marriage.” And that wasn’t something I really wanted to delve into.
I also wish there would have been more insights from his kids. The small inclusions from them at the end were so interesting and it’s obvious their experiences changes their world view, I just wanted to hear about it more from their perspective.
Overall, I’d recommend it, especially if you are interested in wwoofing or voluntourism.
March 21, 2025
I read this for the the 2025 Read Harder Challenge task to read a book based solely on its setting. I thought it would be cool to read a book set in Costa Rica, and learned of this one from the Strong Sense of Place podcast episode that was recommending books set there. It's about a family that does a six month trip traveling and volunteering in exchange for room and board. They start out in Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula (at a wildlife rescue), and also go to New Zealand (WWOOF), India (an orphanage), and the last place might be Tibet (a school). They got to see the Dalai Lama while in that country. I love this kind of story. It seems like a pretty good way to travel and really experience some different places, while helping out at the same time. I liked learning about the family, too, and some of the reasons they wanted to do this type of trip (at least from the parents' perspective).
June 20, 2019
An ordinary tale featuring an extraordinary events.
This slow starting novel is a story of a "cookie cutter" type of family who takes the boldest of all risks, essentially placing their entire lives on hold to volunteer around the world. WOW! What an adventure to experience. I admire the dedication and sacrifices made to achieve the ultimate goal. The growth in each family member, graceful. Although, my favorite of characters has to be Traca. She's an inspiration to all in the selfless department. Probably the main reasoning behind the entire read.
I commend John for sharing his story, his family, their experiences. And I would like to especially thank him for the Indian travel stories. Because of him, I have been learning so much about Khen Rinpoche.
Overall, a great read just not my personal speed.
This slow starting novel is a story of a "cookie cutter" type of family who takes the boldest of all risks, essentially placing their entire lives on hold to volunteer around the world. WOW! What an adventure to experience. I admire the dedication and sacrifices made to achieve the ultimate goal. The growth in each family member, graceful. Although, my favorite of characters has to be Traca. She's an inspiration to all in the selfless department. Probably the main reasoning behind the entire read.
I commend John for sharing his story, his family, their experiences. And I would like to especially thank him for the Indian travel stories. Because of him, I have been learning so much about Khen Rinpoche.
Overall, a great read just not my personal speed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
Really enjoyable book. While I don't have a spouse and children, and didn't volunteer-I did take 7 months off in middle age to travel, and I can empathize with many of the feelings in the book: The feeling at the beginning of the trip that there is plenty of time, and how fast time passes at the end; Telling your deepest secrets and thoughts to folks you have known for only a short time; the modern-day temptations of ignoring culture in favor of checking Facebook and YouTube, etc, etc.. The end of the book is familiar as well. While you change in ways you may not envision at the beginning, your problems don't magically disappear when you return.
Besides this, the author was quite humorous. I never read "Eat Prey Love", but going on the road with one's family deserves it's own movie-and this book certainly does.
Besides this, the author was quite humorous. I never read "Eat Prey Love", but going on the road with one's family deserves it's own movie-and this book certainly does.
June 23, 2018
I really, really enjoyed this book! It was hilarious, insightful, truthful, and inspiring. The author, his wife, and two teenagers dropped everything (not an easy task) and volunteered around the world for 6 months. They worked in an animal sanctuary in Costa Rica, an orphanage in India, a village school in Thailand, and a farm in New Zealand. As fascinating as it was to read about their experiences in these places, I was more intrigued about the actual places they volunteered at. The people that started these volunteering organizations have such amazing stories too. I was interested in this book because my family and I have been to Thailand three times and have also done some volunteer and missionary work. I could totally relate to some of the author's experiences with navigating through a country with such a different culture. I highly recommend this book if you like traveling, serving others, or are curious about volunteering around the world. https://jolenewilsonblog.wordpress.co...
September 27, 2018
Well written, sincere and inspiring.
I loved the book. I think John writes very honestly about his experience, narrating not just the adventures and details of traveling, but also inviting us to the inner journey, letting the reader grow with him and his family.
I had a great time reading it, and find it very inspiring, specially because I've wanted to travel and volunteer for a while now, and this book is a strong and gentle nudge in the right direction.
Even if you're not interested in traveling, the book will provide you with a first class pass I'm vicariousness that is totally with it.
Thanks to the Marshalls, and to John for taking the leap and sharing it with the wife open world.
I loved the book. I think John writes very honestly about his experience, narrating not just the adventures and details of traveling, but also inviting us to the inner journey, letting the reader grow with him and his family.
I had a great time reading it, and find it very inspiring, specially because I've wanted to travel and volunteer for a while now, and this book is a strong and gentle nudge in the right direction.
Even if you're not interested in traveling, the book will provide you with a first class pass I'm vicariousness that is totally with it.
Thanks to the Marshalls, and to John for taking the leap and sharing it with the wife open world.
February 11, 2015
It is hard to review a memoir because the story is about someone. It's personal. It is even harder when the reader found herself not liking the people in the memoir, such as I did.
From Amazon, this book is described as follows:
"John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever imagined: The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales.
Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones.
Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more valuable: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them."
Let's start with the obvious: the title and subject depictions on the back are very misleading. John Marshall and his family took six months to do some volunteering in a very few places of the world. The book's subtitle says they volunteered around the globe. It is understandable that in only six months, one can not go everywhere, but "around the globe" leads to broader and more varied traveling.
This book is not about the family as the book descriptions portray. Since it is written from one individual's perspective, necessarily only one voice will be heard. Many times, this can be pulled off so that many characters can be brought in successfully to the storyline. Not so with Mr. Marshall. It is almost as if he just wanted an excuse for writing a book in order to show off his alleged good deeds. Excerpts, few and far between, are given to the other members of the family. I kept asking myself "And how is this about a whole family? This is about John!"
I did appreciate the stories of the book. Some were humorous and I did actually "laugh out loud" at them. If Mr. Marshall's focus had stopped at being solely a travel memoir, all would have been well. But it didn't.
The writing was well enough but the metaphors. . . my GOSH the metaphors! They were groan-worthy. I rolled my eyes too often at the oddly-worded and needless metaphors that inhabit almost every page of this book. You will also find what I like to call "nuggets of wisdom" randomly thrown in. It makes this book hard to figure out: is it a memoir? Book of wisdom? Book of cruddy metaphors?
The book needed pictures. Pictures of the places he visited and the people he mentioned should have accompanied the story in order to provide a better connection with his travels. Since my copy of the book was an uncorrected proof, perhaps the final book has photographs that I am unaware of.
*I received this book as an uncorrected proof through Net Galley.
From Amazon, this book is described as follows:
"John Marshall needed a change. His twenty-year marriage was falling apart, his seventeen-year-old son was about to leave home, and his fourteen-year-old daughter was lost in cyberspace. Desperate to get out of a rut and reconnect with his family, John dreamed of a trip around the world, a chance to leave behind, if only just for a while, routines and responsibilities. He didn’t have the money for resorts or luxury tours, but he did have an idea that would make traveling the globe more affordable and more meaningful than he’d ever imagined: The family would volunteer their time and energy to others in far-flung locales.
Wide-Open World is the inspiring true story of the six months that changed the Marshall family forever. Once they’d made the pivotal decision to go, John and his wife, Traca, quit their jobs, pulled their kids out of school, and embarked on a journey that would take them far off the beaten path, and far out of their comfort zones.
Here is the totally engaging, bluntly honest chronicle of the Marshalls’ life-altering adventure from Central America to East Asia. It was no fairy tale. The trip offered little rest, even less relaxation, and virtually no certainty of what was to come. But it did give the Marshalls something far more valuable: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conquer personal fears, strengthen family bonds, and find their true selves by helping those in need. In the end, as John discovered, he and his family did not change the world. It was the world that changed them."
Let's start with the obvious: the title and subject depictions on the back are very misleading. John Marshall and his family took six months to do some volunteering in a very few places of the world. The book's subtitle says they volunteered around the globe. It is understandable that in only six months, one can not go everywhere, but "around the globe" leads to broader and more varied traveling.
This book is not about the family as the book descriptions portray. Since it is written from one individual's perspective, necessarily only one voice will be heard. Many times, this can be pulled off so that many characters can be brought in successfully to the storyline. Not so with Mr. Marshall. It is almost as if he just wanted an excuse for writing a book in order to show off his alleged good deeds. Excerpts, few and far between, are given to the other members of the family. I kept asking myself "And how is this about a whole family? This is about John!"
I did appreciate the stories of the book. Some were humorous and I did actually "laugh out loud" at them. If Mr. Marshall's focus had stopped at being solely a travel memoir, all would have been well. But it didn't.
The writing was well enough but the metaphors. . . my GOSH the metaphors! They were groan-worthy. I rolled my eyes too often at the oddly-worded and needless metaphors that inhabit almost every page of this book. You will also find what I like to call "nuggets of wisdom" randomly thrown in. It makes this book hard to figure out: is it a memoir? Book of wisdom? Book of cruddy metaphors?
The book needed pictures. Pictures of the places he visited and the people he mentioned should have accompanied the story in order to provide a better connection with his travels. Since my copy of the book was an uncorrected proof, perhaps the final book has photographs that I am unaware of.
*I received this book as an uncorrected proof through Net Galley.
April 20, 2019
Interesting account of a family's trip to volunteer around the world for 6 months. The funniest anecdotes come from the first stop in Costa Rica. As a listener, the story slowed down a little bit after that but it was still an interesting listen.
Note: I wrote this before finishing the epilogue. I have to say that I think their use of minimal vaccines for this trip is reckless and dangerous. Crazy in my opinion! However, visiting the author's website to see photos from the trip is totally worth the time.
Note: I wrote this before finishing the epilogue. I have to say that I think their use of minimal vaccines for this trip is reckless and dangerous. Crazy in my opinion! However, visiting the author's website to see photos from the trip is totally worth the time.
December 22, 2025
this book was so fun! it was such an inspiring memoir that highlights the connections with people around the world and with other organisms. I loved the development of every character. Every emotion felt like the stress of the happiness was so human and every minute of this book felt real to them (ppl in the book.)
Although this was such an eye-opening read, it got quite boring at times and I skimmed over the last 70 pages😅I was just ready to be done
3.5 stars!!!
Although this was such an eye-opening read, it got quite boring at times and I skimmed over the last 70 pages😅I was just ready to be done
3.5 stars!!!
May 8, 2017
Looking for a life of intention
We all seem to be hungry for living for something greater than ourselves. Looking outside of our own inner worlds is a beginning. But how to continue beyond is the trick. I am not sure the author has found that trick in his life. But we'll have to wait for his next book I think.
We all seem to be hungry for living for something greater than ourselves. Looking outside of our own inner worlds is a beginning. But how to continue beyond is the trick. I am not sure the author has found that trick in his life. But we'll have to wait for his next book I think.
June 30, 2018
A wonderful book for all members of the family, especially kids who think their lives are boring or hard. This family each grew with this experience and gained lots of compassion for others throughout the world. Having lived in Argentina I saw many people who could use more of everything.
We all could use that experience.
We all could use that experience.
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