Circling Home

Terry Repak opened herself up to living abroad in the company of her epidemiologist husband and their two young children. Her honest book captures not only the beautiful people and landscapes and wildlife they encountered at every turn, but the moments of stark loneliness and confusion. She quickly learned to make friends and seek out local women and expats who became mentors and confidantes. This is how she found "home" wherever she landed. The difference a friend can make stands out as this book's most valuable bit of wisdom.

—Melissa Fay Greene, New York Times Bestselling Author of Praying for Sheetrock  and The Temple Bombing

Whether she’s recounting a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro with women friends or describing what it’s like to raise children during stints in Africa and Europe with her husband, Terry's memoir is a graceful and inspiring book about the rewards and challenges of an adventurous, fulfilling life as a global citizen."

—Misha Berson, former Arts Reporter for the Seattle Times and author of Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination.

“Terry Repak draws on her sharp eye as a journalist and her heart in connecting with others wherever her husband's career took their family in the early days of AIDS work. After living in west and east Africa and Europe, she shows us how home is a place we must access within ourselves while raising children overseas, taking care of ageing parents, and building community again and again. The take-away from this absorbing memoir is one worth pondering: ‘After years of living overseas, I concluded that connecting with people instead of focusing on differences was the most fulfilling way of being in the world.’"

—Jennifer Haupt, bestselling author of Alone Together and In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills, and recipient of the Washington State Book Award for General Nonfiction.

“If you have ever been overseas—especially to Africa—or are planning to go, you must read Circling Home. The book is written with such honesty and vivid details of both people and places that readers are guaranteed to find many inspiring gems. It's the author’s ability to be open and honest about relationships with friends and family that struck me as unusually perceptive and enlightening. I found myself nodding and smiling—and occasionally crying—from the first page to the last. A great read.

—Pamela White, former US Ambassador to Haiti and The Gambia, and former USAID Mission Director in Tanzania and Liberia.

“Terry Repak writes about her family’s experiences as American expats in very personal ways, without being afraid of sharing some of the unvarnished realities. With candor and humility, she demonstrates how living overseas can be a rich and fulfilling experience. For Americans, she shows the value of opening ourselves to global perspectives and viewing the rest of the world differently while being more analytical of our own actions. Thank you for this warm, insightful contribution to global understanding and particularly to a more textured understanding of the beauty and the complexities of Africa.”

—Dr. Helene Gayle, President of Spelman College, former President and CEO of CARE, and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center (NCHSTP)

“Anyone contemplating living abroad for either her own or a spouse’s career will find Terry Repak’s memoir about her family’s long stints in two African nations and in Europe invaluable. While offering lots of practical advice, Terry shines in contemplating both the difficulties and the lasting enrichment she, her husband and children experienced.”

 —Elizabeth Nelson Brown, author of Playing Boticelli

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