Putting Cultural Differences into Words

I’ve written here about consuming different media as a way of generating ideas for my writing work. I find that travel writers often share the most evocative, sensitive, insightful portraits of the human experience and broader cultural differences.

Seven novels and memoirs I’ve read recently show the challenges of navigating the unfamiliar: cultures, places, relationships. The books below have been helping me bring more nuance and depth to my current nonfiction, which is focused on understanding what divides and unites us in America today.

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard

Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard

The French Ingredient: Making a Life in Paris One Lesson at a Time by Jane Bertch

When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins

A Great Marriage by Frances Mayes

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes

A Place in the World: Finding the Meaning of Home by Frances Mayes