Top 5 Expat Books: Informing, Entertaining and Welcoming You to the Expat Life

You might think being an expat is just as simple as moving to a different country and working there, but really, it is a lot more than that. Your experience as a tourist in a country is definitely not the same as when you start living there. Every expat has his or her story and it is always interesting. If you are planning to embark on the great expat adventure, curious about the expat lifestyle, or just looking for a good read, try to pick these books up and see for yourself. 

1.  Perking The Pansies: Jack and Liam Move To Turkey

Topping the list of almost all the charts of expat book rankings is “Perking The Pansies” by Jack Scott. This is a non-fiction book compilation of Jack Scott’s Blog about his and his partner Liam’s experience as British Expats in Turkey. This is the story of an openly gay, recently married couple leaving the liberal crowd of merry old London for a conservative Muslim country. This is about as interesting as a context can get. Told in a very conversational and light tone, Jack takes you for a ride with him and Liam as they go through a series of interesting encounters. This book is full of entertaining narratives of real life experiences that will surely tickle your funny bones.

2.  Keep Your Life, Family and Career Intact While Living Abroad

As we’ve mentioned several times in previous posts, keeping a close relationship with loved ones while living abroad is crucial to any expat. This book by Cathy Tsang-Feign tackles just that. Cathy Tsang-Feign is a psychologist who specializes on expatriates and cross-cultural psychology. She has experiences in being an expat herself when she left Hong Kong for America while studying and training for Psychology. This book explores topics like culture shock, expat burnout, raising children abroad, being single abroad etc. all the important topics which are very useful for all kinds of expats. Because it is written more in a social tone than a psychological one, this book comes of more like an advice book than a manual, which can be good for those who don’t like preachy books about psychology.

3.  Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad In An On-Demand World

For the expat parents looking for more input on how to raise their children abroad, this is a good book to pick up. Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad In An On-Demand World by Robin Pascoe explores the difficulties of raising a child in a foreign country and the demands that go with it. Presented in a fun humorous context despite its heavy subject, this book is deemed one of the best expat book guides out there. If you’re looking for a parenting guide cross with fun multi-cultural experiences and encounters, this book is for you.

4.  Hi! My Name is Loco and I Am A Racist

Very provocative, intriguing and honest, these are some of the words best used to describe this book by Baye McNeil. This is a compilation of the brutally honest experiences of an African American living in Japan. Despite its title and cover, this book is not all fun and humour; it also talks about McNeil’s struggle with bigotry inside and outside his own country as well as his experiences in the US Army. This is a hearty book that will get you in a roller coaster ride of emotions.

5.  Going Local in Gran Canaria: How To Turn A Holiday Destination Into A Home

Pick up this book and you will be pleasantly surprised that even though the book is mainly about Gran Canaria, the experience is applicable anywhere in the world. “Going Local in Gran Canaria: How To Turn A Holiday Destination Into A Home” by Matthew Hirtes allows you to have a fresh perspective about holidays, career opportunities in a country and even property advice. Presented in a light and cheerful tone, this book is informative as well as entertaining, it is truly something you can enjoy reading.