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Barry Hoffner

Barry Hoffner is the author of Belonging to the World, a memoir chronicling his journey to every country on Earth. After earning his MBA from Columbia University, he worked in investment banking globally before a midcareer sabbatical transformed his path. He is also the founder and executive director of Caravan to Class, a nonprofit that builds schools in Mali, Africa, and is the father of two sons.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Belonging to the World.
1
Books Reviewed
In order

Barry Hoffner books in order

2 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.

  1. I Fell in Love with Your Mom on a Bus in India cover
    2019
    I Fell in Love with Your Mom on a Bus in India
    Amazon ↗
  2. Belonging to the World cover
    2026
    Belonging to the World
    Our review →
Cover of Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every
Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every

4.7/5

reader rating · 158 ratings

Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth is a travel memoir by Barry Hoffner that chronicles his globe-spanning journey through grief, resilience, and human connection after the sudden death of his wife Jackie in 2017. A Readers' Choice Book Awards Bronze Winner in Adult Nonfiction, it is published by GFB and draws comparisons to the introspective travel writing of Paul Theroux and Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The memoir is candid, emotionally grounded, and rooted in a genuine quest to feel the pulse of the world again.

Reviewed Apr 22, 2026

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Authors Like Barry Hoffner
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Gale Straub

Travel & Adventure
Gale Straub's She Explores mirrors Hoffner's theme of travel reshaping inner life, expanding from a single-narrator journey into a mosaic of fifty women sharing life-changing outdoor adventures.
1 book reviewed
She Explores: Stories of Life-Changing Adventures on the Road
K

Kevin Fedarko

Travel & Adventure
Biography & Memoir
Kevin Fedarko’s A Walk in the Park also blends travel and exploration with an underlying personal thread driven by grief.
1 book reviewed
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure
Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed

Travel & Adventure
Biography & Memoir
Cheryl Strayed’s Wild charts a solo physical journey toward healing, matching Barry Hoffner’s vulnerability with raw emotional honesty.
1 book reviewed
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest
Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson

Health & Wellness
Travel & Adventure
Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island shares Barry Hoffner's warmth toward strangers and places, while placing humor firmly in the foreground.
3 books reviewed
The Body: A Guide for Occupants
A Walk in the Woods
Notes from a Small Island
John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck

Travel & Adventure
John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley in Search of America also chronicles a road journey, offering a quieter pace and deeper reflection on landscapes and strangers.
1 book reviewed
Travels with Charley in Search of America
K

Kate Harris

Travel & Adventure
Kate Harris’s Lands of Lost Borders matches Barry Hoffner's worldwide travel memoir with a grueling Silk Road expedition, examining both geographic and personal borders.
1 book reviewed
Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road