Synopses & Reviews
Jen, Holly, and Amanda are at a crossroads. They're feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones—scoring a big promotion, finding a soul mate, having 2.2 kids—before they reach their early thirties. When personal challenges force them to reevaluate their lives, they decide it's now or never to do something daring. Unable to gain perspective in fast-paced Manhattan, the three twentysomethings quit their coveted media jobs and leave behind their friends, boyfriends, and everything familiar to travel the globe. Dubbing themselves the Lost Girls, they embark on an epic yearlong search for inspiration and direction.
As they journey 60,000 miles across four continents and more than a dozen countries, Jen, Holly, and Amanda step far outside of their comfort zones, embracing every adventure and experience the world has to offer—shooting blowguns with Yagua elders in the Amazon, learning capoeira on the beaches of Brazil, volunteering with preteen girls at a school in rural Kenya, hiking with Hmong villagers in Vietnam, and driving through Australia in a psychedelic camper van. Along the way, the Lost Girls find not only themselves but also a lifelong friendship. Ultimately, theirs is a story of true sisterhood—a bond forged by sharing beds and backpacks, enduring exotic illnesses, fending off aggressive street vendors, trekking across rivers and over mountains, and standing by one another through heartaches, whirlwind romances, and everything in the world in between.
This candid and compelling memoir will speak to anyone who has ever felt the desire to spread her wings and discover the world with her best friends by her side.
Review
“For anyone-young or old, female or male-who has ever been tempted to trade in the rat race for the thrill and adventure of long-term global travel. And after reading this book, dont be surprised if you want to do just that.” David Farley, author of An Irreverent Curiosity
Review
“Brave, funny, and deeply moving, THE LOST GIRLS is a real-life fairy tale for anyone whos ever wanted to chuck it all and see the world with a best friend on each arm.” Cathy Alter, author of Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over
Review
“[P]otentially serious side effects [include] chronic wanderlust; severe allergic reactions to the daily grind; and an incurable desire to toss that Blackberry down a drain….Three cheers to the Lost Girls for showing us, with good humor and graceful prose, the beauty and importance of leading life astray.” Franz Wisner, New York Times Bestselling author of Honeymoon with My Brother
Review
“The Lost Girls captures the generational struggle so many twentysomethings face as they try to find their way with no clear map. I ... found myself cheering as they discovered more than they could have bargained for.” Laura Dave, author of The Divorce Party
Review
“A triumphant journey about losing yourself, finding yourself and coming home again. Hitch yourself to their ride: youll embark on a transformative journey of your own.” Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of The One That I Want and Time of My Life
Review
“...[W]hen it comes to travel (and most other things), a goal is a dream with a deadline, but the Lost Girls have gone one step further….The best travel adventures, the most memorable experiences happen when things dont go according to plan. Thats why I love this book.” Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, CBS News
Review
“The three authors, all gifted writers...provide passionate, vivid descriptions of their far-flung travels, bolstered by thoughtful insights and genuine intentions, making this an intensely enjoyable read for fans of travel writing....immediately relatable for any twenty-something unsure of his or her future (i.e., most of them).” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“...Jen, Holly and Amandas lively accounts make for the ideal armchair journey.” Booklist
Review
“…the real appeal of the story is the long road they take together, each supporting the others on a soul-searching quest to create a life that matters.” BookPage
Review
“Jennifer, Holly and Amanda have had the adventure of their lives.” Los Angeles Times
Review
"Part travelogue, part Bildungsroman, part ethnography, this work is as intricate and nuanced as the Arabic language itself. O'Neill masterfully weaves together vignettes, linguistic musings, and a colorful cast of thousands into an always-thoughtful, often hysterically funny paean to a part of the world about which most Americans remain woefully ignorant."—Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
Synopsis
“Brave, funny, and deeply moving.”
— Cathy Alter, author of
Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over “Three cheers to The Lost Girls for showing us, with good humor and graceful prose, the beauty and importance of leading life astray.”
— Franz Wisner, New York Times Bestselling author of Honeymoon with My Brother
Three friends, each on the brink of a quarter-life crisis, make a pact to quit their high pressure New York City media jobs and leave behind their friends, boyfriends, and everything familiar to embark on a year-long backpacking adventure around the world in The Lost Girls.
Synopsis
A lively, often hilarious, and always warm-hearted exploration of Arabic language and culture, guided by a keen-eyed travel writer with twenty years of experience studying Arabic
Synopsis
After years studying Arabic, Zora O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master it but also driving herself crazy. So she stepped away. But, a decade later, she still couldn't shake her fascination and returned to Arabic, this time with a new approach.
O’Neill embarks on a grand tour through the Middle East—to Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco—packing her dictionaries, her unsinkable sense of humor, and her talent for making fast friends of strangers. She travels along quiet, bougainvillea-lined streets and amid the lively buzz of crowded cities and medinas. She jumps off the tourist track, into families’ homes and local hotspots, and makes a part of the world that is thousands of miles away seem right next door.
With lively prose and an eye for the deeply absurd and the deeply human, O’Neill explores the indelible links between culture and communication. All Strangers Are Kin is a powerful testament to the dynamism of language and how learning another tongue leaves you rich with so much more than words.
About the Author
Jennifer Baggett serves as a project manager at the Food Network and is collaborating with Holly and Amanda on a second book. After holding editorial positions at Self and Woman's Day.
Holly C. Corbett now works as a freelance writer and college professor.
Amanda Pressner is a travel and lifestyle journalist who has contributed to such publications as USA Today and Cosmopolitan and Shape magazines.
Jennifer Baggett serves as a project manager at the Food Network and is collaborating with Holly and Amanda on a second book. After holding editorial positions at Self and Woman's Day.
Holly C. Corbett now works as a freelance writer and college professor.
Amanda Pressner is a travel and lifestyle journalist who has contributed to such publications as USA Today and Cosmopolitan and Shape magazines.
Jennifer Baggett serves as a project manager at the Food Network and is collaborating with Holly and Amanda on a second book. After holding editorial positions at Self and Woman's Day.
Holly C. Corbett now works as a freelance writer and college professor.
Amanda Pressner is a travel and lifestyle journalist who has contributed to such publications as USA Today and Cosmopolitan and Shape magazines.