The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country in the World
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- Create Date：2022-07-11 10:51:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jessica Nabongo
- ISBN：1426222262
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Summary
In this inspiring travelogue， celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo—the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world—shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure， culture， travel musts， and human connections。
It was a daunting task， but Jessica Nabongo， the beloved voice behind the popular website The Catch Me if You Can， made it happen， completing her journey to all 195 UN-recognized countries in the world in October 2019。 Now， in this one-of-a-kind memoir， she reveals her top 100 destinations from her global adventure。
Beautifully illustrated with many of Nabongo's own photographs， the book documents her remarkable experiences in each country， including:
A harrowing scooter accident in Nauru， the world’s least visited country，
Seeing the life and community swarming around the Hazrat Ali Mazar mosque in Afghanistan，
Horseback riding and learning to lasso with Black cowboys in Oklahoma，
Playing dominoes with men on the streets of Havana，
Learning to make traditional takoyaki （octopus balls） from locals in Japan，
Dog sledding in Norway and swimming with humpback whales in Tonga，
A late night adventure with strangers to cross a border in Guinea Bissau，
And sunbathing on the sandy shores of Los Roques in Venezuela。
Along with beloved destinations like Peru and South Africa， you'll also find tales from far-flung corners and seldom visited destinations， including Tuvalu， North Korea， South Sudan， and the Central African Republic。 Nabongo's stories are love letters to diversity， beauty， and culture—and most of all， to the people she meets along the way。 Throughout， she offers bucket-list experiences for other travel-lovers looking to follow in her footsteps。
For armchair travelers or readers planning a trip around the globe， this arresting collection will awe and inspire！
It was a daunting task， but Jessica Nabongo， the beloved voice behind the popular website The Catch Me if You Can， made it happen， completing her journey to all 195 UN-recognized countries in the world in October 2019。 Now， in this one-of-a-kind memoir， she reveals her top 100 destinations from her global adventure。
Beautifully illustrated with many of Nabongo's own photographs， the book documents her remarkable experiences in each country， including:
A harrowing scooter accident in Nauru， the world’s least visited country，
Seeing the life and community swarming around the Hazrat Ali Mazar mosque in Afghanistan，
Horseback riding and learning to lasso with Black cowboys in Oklahoma，
Playing dominoes with men on the streets of Havana，
Learning to make traditional takoyaki （octopus balls） from locals in Japan，
Dog sledding in Norway and swimming with humpback whales in Tonga，
A late night adventure with strangers to cross a border in Guinea Bissau，
And sunbathing on the sandy shores of Los Roques in Venezuela。
Along with beloved destinations like Peru and South Africa， you'll also find tales from far-flung corners and seldom visited destinations， including Tuvalu， North Korea， South Sudan， and the Central African Republic。 Nabongo's stories are love letters to diversity， beauty， and culture—and most of all， to the people she meets along the way。 Throughout， she offers bucket-list experiences for other travel-lovers looking to follow in her footsteps。
For armchair travelers or readers planning a trip around the globe， this arresting collection will awe and inspire！
Reviews
Darlene Ivy
，
What a goal！ It takes guts and fortitude to break away from the 9 to 5 and complete this while establishing and running related businesses。 The photos are gorgeous although I would have often liked more focus on the place and less on the fashion shot。 Logically， it makes sense that comments about a country where Nabongo has spent more time are more detailed and insightful than those about a country she visited once for a few days， but her interspersed philosophical thoughts and questions are sti What a goal！ It takes guts and fortitude to break away from the 9 to 5 and complete this while establishing and running related businesses。 The photos are gorgeous although I would have often liked more focus on the place and less on the fashion shot。 Logically， it makes sense that comments about a country where Nabongo has spent more time are more detailed and insightful than those about a country she visited once for a few days， but her interspersed philosophical thoughts and questions are still thought-provoking。 Nabongo finds friends wherever she goes and that is an important takeaway for every reader。 。。。more
Cherie
，
I wanted to love this book; I love travel books， esp photo ones that draw me in and give me ideas for where I might want to go。 But this - this felt more like an Instagram account， with perfectly posed， perfectly attired photos of the author。 She is motivated to travel to every country in the world （Why？ I didn't get the strongest sense of why， but one thing she really wanted to do was be a Black woman （totally inspiring） who did it， as most of those who have done it so far are white men。） and s I wanted to love this book; I love travel books， esp photo ones that draw me in and give me ideas for where I might want to go。 But this - this felt more like an Instagram account， with perfectly posed， perfectly attired photos of the author。 She is motivated to travel to every country in the world （Why？ I didn't get the strongest sense of why， but one thing she really wanted to do was be a Black woman （totally inspiring） who did it， as most of those who have done it so far are white men。） and she's honest with her journeys， but her journeys are quick trips much of the time so she can click a box - and thus， her reflections are often vast generalizations， tour guides， complaints abt travel stress （such a real part of travel）。 I think this could really appeal to armchair travelers who love Instagram influencers， but something abt it， just not for me。 。。。more
Mel Lee
，
I stayed up until 3am to finish this book！ The author is a wonderful storyteller transporting you to countries， towns， beaches right along with her。 She travels with an open mind and heart leaving her experiences （and not other peoples opinions） to form her own opinion。 This book was excellent and I am highly recommending it。 Even if your goal isn’t to travel to every country， this book changes your way of thinking to consider places you’d never considered traveling before。
Laura
，
The Catch Me If You Can is an intriguing memoir of Jessica Nabongo。 Nabongo was taking the corporate world by storm when she realized she wanted more out of life。 She moved to Japan to teach English and from then on， the trajectory of her life was changed。 She started a blog called The Catch Me If You Can that focused on her travels and her photography。 By 2017 she had a goal of visiting every country in the world and she did it。 She has visited 195 countries and 10 territories。 I found this mem The Catch Me If You Can is an intriguing memoir of Jessica Nabongo。 Nabongo was taking the corporate world by storm when she realized she wanted more out of life。 She moved to Japan to teach English and from then on， the trajectory of her life was changed。 She started a blog called The Catch Me If You Can that focused on her travels and her photography。 By 2017 she had a goal of visiting every country in the world and she did it。 She has visited 195 countries and 10 territories。 I found this memoir to be fascinating。 I loved Nabongo’s beautiful pictures， but I also loved the narrative about her travels。 I like how she just went to countries and then organically found cool things to do。 I’ve always wanted to visit many of these countries and Nabongo made me feel like I could do it。 I loved her descriptions of the pyramids， “No matter how many pictures you’ve seen of the pyramids， nothing can prepare you for seeing them up close。” I also like that she gave facts， history， and dimensions on them。 For each country she had fascinating items to share about the country and its people。 I also enjoyed the bucket list at the end for the reader for cool things to visit in each country。I was scared for Nabongo to visit North Korea， but she said she was never afraid of traveling there。 “What I found most fascinating about North Korea was just how normal it felt。” I thought that was fascinating。 Overall， that is what Nabongo realized as she traveled around the world， that people are people。 They are “more similar than we are different，” and that “most people are good。” I thought it was very inspirational and very positive。 I greatly enjoyed this book。 Book Source: A Review Copy from Hachette Book Group / National Geographic as part of the TLC Book Tour。 Thank-you！ I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold。blogspot。com/2022。。。 。。。more
Melissa
，
I loved this book。 Visiting every country in the world is incredibly impressive！ And I appreciated that while it was largely a love letter， Nabongo was also very honest about the racism and other bad experiences。 I highly recommend this wonderful read filled with gorgeous pictures， fun anecdotes， and travel suggestions。
Robin Pelletier
，
Wow。 I can't even imagine how Jessica Nabongo feels。 She's the first black woman on record to travel to all 195 countries in the world。 What an accomplishment。 That has to feel so surreal。 This is her memoir of her travels。 I love her passion and positive messages about finding a job/work you love and taking your days off。 Some people dream of quitting their corporate jobs and traveling the world: Nabongo actually does it。 What I loved most:Each chapter was bite sized and focuses on ONE country Wow。 I can't even imagine how Jessica Nabongo feels。 She's the first black woman on record to travel to all 195 countries in the world。 What an accomplishment。 That has to feel so surreal。 This is her memoir of her travels。 I love her passion and positive messages about finding a job/work you love and taking your days off。 Some people dream of quitting their corporate jobs and traveling the world: Nabongo actually does it。 What I loved most:Each chapter was bite sized and focuses on ONE country at a time。 Nabongo would mention places to see and must-dos in each place she visited Each chapter had a food recommendation。 I LOVE trying food in new places， so this was fun to listen to。 How Nabonga put together a network of artisans around the world to sell different products。 How Nabango evolves throughout her travels in regards to environmental impact。 What I didn't love so much:At times， Nabongo would get repetitive。Sometimes， the details of getting into a country and the needed visas/journey to get them felt forced or tedious。 While I appreciate the effort it took to get to some of these places， I feel like more of this space/time could have been dedicated to the place itself， the languages of the places， the people， cultures。 ！！！ Some of the countries skipped。 I wished there had been some explanation at the start or end on why not all 195 countries would be discussed/why some were left out。 The version I listened to has 105 chapters - so a little more than half are talked about - but there's nothing on which countries were left out， why they weren't included or anything。 This really irritated me。 I understand that it was her top 100 - but some criteria on why and how she halved the list would be beneficial for a reader。 （Especially for readers like me who don't read the synopsis and pick books based on covers and dive in）。P。S。 I love the way Nabongo read her own book and the ending was intentionally edited to feel like you were on a plane。 Love that touch！ 。。。more
Lianne Granata
，
“Travel has taught me to expect the unexpected。 And to throw expectations entirely out the window。 Forget everything you thought you knew and even what you have read or heard。 Go see for yourself instead。”
Julie
，
This book is part travel book， part memoir， and entirely amazing。 I started following author Jessica Nabongo’s Instagram early in the pandemic to help satiate my wanderlust when the world was shut down。 As the first Black woman to have visited every country in the world （！！！） she had literally been EVERYWHERE so I was living vicariously through her images as well as her stories of the culture of each place she visited。 So when she announced that she was teaming up with National Geographic to wri This book is part travel book， part memoir， and entirely amazing。 I started following author Jessica Nabongo’s Instagram early in the pandemic to help satiate my wanderlust when the world was shut down。 As the first Black woman to have visited every country in the world （！！！） she had literally been EVERYWHERE so I was living vicariously through her images as well as her stories of the culture of each place she visited。 So when she announced that she was teaming up with National Geographic to write a book about her adventures I preordered it as soon as as I could。 The book highlights 100 of the 195 countries she has been to （the reasons she leaves some out are simple—she doesn’t feel like she can do them justice having spent so little time in some of them—clearly we are going to need a volume 2 soon）。 The countries are organized chronologically by order of first visit， so she begs you to please read in order （I have to admit I read the last chapter first because I wanted to read all about her joy of hitting country 195 but otherwise did it in order）。 Each “chapter” is a snapshot of a country， but not the typical guidebook snapshot。 Jessica gives you basic info （including a little map of each country’s location） but her stories immerse you， the reader， into the culture of each nation。 Even in a few short pages per country she takes you on a sensory journey where you can taste the bread in Yemen and smell the tobacco leaves in Cuba。 You feel like you know the people she travels with and meets along the way。 She visits countries that the State Department says aren’t safe， and while she’s fully aware of the political turmoil， she finds the beauty in every place she travels and sees that people are more than politics。 Her book isn’t about encouraging you to follow her dream; instead it’s about showing you two things: 1） these places are beautiful and accessible （sort of） and welcoming; and， most importantly， 2） anyone can and should follow their own dreams。 。。。more
Ada
，
***what sucked me in***It was a tweet that mentioned how Black People should travel。 Racism is everywhere so why not see the world？ Or something like that。 What was more interesting was how people responded。 Absolutely fascinating。And then two persons got recommended。 I don't actually use other social media much to find people who talk about or do stuff I'm interested in。 And to be honest I don't want to。 But I took a look。 And behold she had a book in her hands！Such a lovely surprise。 ***what sucked me in***It was a tweet that mentioned how Black People should travel。 Racism is everywhere so why not see the world？ Or something like that。 What was more interesting was how people responded。 Absolutely fascinating。And then two persons got recommended。 I don't actually use other social media much to find people who talk about or do stuff I'm interested in。 And to be honest I don't want to。 But I took a look。 And behold she had a book in her hands！Such a lovely surprise。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Jessica has written a wonderful book on her travels that makes you want to go to the places that she has been。 The pictures are beautiful and she shows the most unique portions of her travels the book is definitely worth buying
Wall-to-wall books - wendy
，
MY THOUGHTS -An absolutely amazing book！ A very nice quality hardcover that is a nice size。 There are gorgeous pictures on every one of its 416 pages。 Yes， the pictures are beautiful， they definitely draw you in。 But， it is her stories of each country that keep you entranced。 Each one is fascinating。 A couple of thing that I really liked， besides the pictures and the stories - each chapter had a little map showing where the country is （loved this！）。 I thought this was great because not everyone MY THOUGHTS -An absolutely amazing book！ A very nice quality hardcover that is a nice size。 There are gorgeous pictures on every one of its 416 pages。 Yes， the pictures are beautiful， they definitely draw you in。 But， it is her stories of each country that keep you entranced。 Each one is fascinating。 A couple of thing that I really liked， besides the pictures and the stories - each chapter had a little map showing where the country is （loved this！）。 I thought this was great because not everyone knows where all the countries are。 There are also little boxes with extra info， little tidbits like a list of what to do if you visit。I love books like this。 You can just pick it up and read one small part without feeling like you have finish the whole thing。 Each Chapter/country is it's own story to be relished。I only read a few but this will be on my coffee table for me to pick up and read a little each morning。I love travel memoirs， and this is one of the best！Thank you TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for my honest review！ 。。。more
Lorena
，
Blogger Jessica Nabongo was the first Black woman to visit all 195 countries。 In this 418-page book， she shares some of her personal story and provides an overview of her 100 favorite travel destinations illustrated with her own photographs。 In addition to her stories and photos， each country’s entry includes the month and year she first visited， how many times she has visited， and a small map showing where the country is located。 The text isn’t detailed enough to function as a travel guide， but Blogger Jessica Nabongo was the first Black woman to visit all 195 countries。 In this 418-page book， she shares some of her personal story and provides an overview of her 100 favorite travel destinations illustrated with her own photographs。 In addition to her stories and photos， each country’s entry includes the month and year she first visited， how many times she has visited， and a small map showing where the country is located。 The text isn’t detailed enough to function as a travel guide， but this is a wonderful way for armchair travelers to learn about exotic locations。 For those wanting to pursue their own adventures， the book concludes with the author’s suggested bucket list for readers。At roughly 7 by 9 inches， the hardcover book is smaller than most coffee table books。 However， I’ve found that I like this size; it's easier to hold than a larger book。Thanks to National Geographic for providing me with an unproofed ARC sample through NetGalley。 。。。more
Sam
，
🌍 Book Sampler Review 🌏#thecatchmeifyoucan#jessicanabongo#travelogue#memoirs#nonfiction#NetGalley （to be published 6/14/2022）#nationalgeographic @natgeo🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎/5I really wish this sampler for review was longer。 I love JN's voice。 It is very conversational。 Very readable。 Easy to understand。 Filled with facts and opinions。When I want to decide where in the world to travel to， I will definitely buy her book to help decide which countries to visit，which attractions/activities to explore。 Very well do 🌍 Book Sampler Review 🌏#thecatchmeifyoucan#jessicanabongo#travelogue#memoirs#nonfiction#NetGalley （to be published 6/14/2022）#nationalgeographic @natgeo🌏🌎🌍🌏🌎/5I really wish this sampler for review was longer。 I love JN's voice。 It is very conversational。 Very readable。 Easy to understand。 Filled with facts and opinions。When I want to decide where in the world to travel to， I will definitely buy her book to help decide which countries to visit，which attractions/activities to explore。 Very well done。Now it's time for me go find her on social media and start to follow JN。#travel#bookstagram #booknerds #bookworm #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse #booknerdbookreviews #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookrecommendation #bookreview #booknerdigan #bookish #gottareadthisbook #books #readalot #ilovereading 。。。more
Ellen
，
Author Jessica Nabongo is living the dream of those who like to travel。 She found a way to ditch her to 9 to 5 gig and make traveling her occupation。 I imagine she became comfortable with travel as the American-born child of Ugandan parents and traveling to Uganda several times。 She published this book after she became the first Black woman of record to visit all of the 195 United Nations-recognize countries。 It includes her top 100 destinations。Even getting visas to places like North Korea and Author Jessica Nabongo is living the dream of those who like to travel。 She found a way to ditch her to 9 to 5 gig and make traveling her occupation。 I imagine she became comfortable with travel as the American-born child of Ugandan parents and traveling to Uganda several times。 She published this book after she became the first Black woman of record to visit all of the 195 United Nations-recognize countries。 It includes her top 100 destinations。Even getting visas to places like North Korea and Sudan and is quite an accomplishment， and it would be worth picking up this book to see her impressions of each。I read a sampler which included material on Uganda， Laos， and Iran。 As in all books published by National Geographic， the photography is spectacular， colorful and vivid。 She includes a one or two page narrative with each country， and I liked her commentary， for instance when visiting Iran she said， “I do not allow what I read in the news to taint my idea of a country or its people。” She talks about the beauty of the mosques there and the warmth of the people， as well as the delicious food。 It’s a good reminder that a place we sometimes think of as being full of deserts and violence if it has had a vibrant culture for thousands of years。I will say that I found myself wishing she could be a little more specific with her stories。 When she talks about having a “proper Persian meal” with an acquaintance in Iran， she says that they laughed， had a lot of food， and a “unique opportunity to learn more about Persian culture，” the words are general enough that I don’t get a real picture in my mind。 I also found myself a little frustrated when she describes the sites she sees， but there’s no accompanying photograph。 For instance， she said that when she entered one of the mosques， “my jaw hit the floor，” because it was so stunning。 She says that it had multi- colored tile that covered every wall and a bright yellow tiled dome， but I so wanted to be able to see a photo of what she was describing。All in all， it looks like a good book for perusing， picking up interesting details from time to time， and dreaming about countries that we’d like to visit。 。。。more
Vicki
，
I didn't realize this was a sample until I started reading it。 Even though it was all out of sorts with the text and pictures， I thoroughly enjoyed it and would like to read the whole book。 Jessica has a wonderful way of writing。 It's like you are sitting with her and she's telling you her travelling takes while showing you her gorgeous photos。 I didn't realize this was a sample until I started reading it。 Even though it was all out of sorts with the text and pictures， I thoroughly enjoyed it and would like to read the whole book。 Jessica has a wonderful way of writing。 It's like you are sitting with her and she's telling you her travelling takes while showing you her gorgeous photos。 。。。more
Drea
，
Gorgeous preview of a woman’s travels filled with lovely writing and stores that made me yearn to do this very thing。 Can’t wait to read the complete book and am so grateful to have received this portion。
SHIRLEY
，
This book is not a travel guide but a memoire of Jessica Nabongo's travels through 100 of her top destinations that she visited over 5 years， and which were among the 195 countries recognized by the UN。I found the sampler （20 pages）， interesting， intriguing， and touching on a personal level。 The photography is a colorful explosion of the areas visited in her story。 This is not a book to carry with you to check off sights when you visit them - oh no - it is so much more。 Jessica delves into the b This book is not a travel guide but a memoire of Jessica Nabongo's travels through 100 of her top destinations that she visited over 5 years， and which were among the 195 countries recognized by the UN。I found the sampler （20 pages）， interesting， intriguing， and touching on a personal level。 The photography is a colorful explosion of the areas visited in her story。 This is not a book to carry with you to check off sights when you visit them - oh no - it is so much more。 Jessica delves into the beauty， diversity， uniqueness and culture of the countries she visits。 She took the time to meet the people， not necessarily the governmental officials， but the people who make up the culture of the country。 This aspect if certainly different from what I expected - and it was an interesting ide to travel。I will definitely look for book when it is published in June because it looks like a book with interesting pictures and stories of her travels。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me a sampler of this very special book for free。 I am leaving this review gladly and voluntarily 。。。more
Sophia
，
Many of us talk about traveling the world， but an intrepid woman ditched corporate life to fill her passport to global adventure。 I was keen to read about Jessica Nabango’s memoir on the best 100 destinations in her 195 country record-breaking journey。The Catch Me If You Can introduced Jessica Nabango from her childhood living in Detroit as a first generation Ugandan American and visits to her mother and father’s homeland， her early thirst for travel and the roundabout path she took to get there Many of us talk about traveling the world， but an intrepid woman ditched corporate life to fill her passport to global adventure。 I was keen to read about Jessica Nabango’s memoir on the best 100 destinations in her 195 country record-breaking journey。The Catch Me If You Can introduced Jessica Nabango from her childhood living in Detroit as a first generation Ugandan American and visits to her mother and father’s homeland， her early thirst for travel and the roundabout path she took to get there through corporate America。 Starting her own travel agency， Jet Black， and lifestyle brand， The Catch， adding professional travel photographer， and online influencer with her The Catch Me If You Can website， Jessica proceeded to become the first black woman to visit all 195 UN recognized countries。 Her book is loaded with her own photography （my eARC copy only captured a portion of these） and a plethora of lush destinations。 Her vignettes about places， experiences， and people are tinted with emotion and reflection。 I felt I was there with her visiting a mountain top Buddhist temple in Laos， attending a family wedding in Uganda， celebrating Persian New Year in Iran， and so much more。 “While I have a lot of rules of thumb for traveling， there is one that I live by as much as possible: I do not travel to new countries with a fear of the unknown… I choose instead to live by what is true， to be in the moment。” Pp。 332In the end， she sums up her thoughts and leaves a bucket list to her readers。 I felt my mind broadened and enriched simply from reading her book so I can’t imagine how much better following in her actual footsteps would be。 Don’t hesitate to pick this up if you love travelogues， memoirs， or simply want to learn to appreciate the wonderful world we live in。I rec'd an eARC through NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jan
，
What a delightful book！I received a sampler of a small number of pages of this book， and was very impressed。 The photographs are just stunning， and the writing by Jessica Nabongo just drew me right in。 I can't wait to read the completed book in full。Jessica became the first black woman to visit all 195 recognized countries in the world， and this is her travelogue describing her favorite 100 places。 What a delightful book！I received a sampler of a small number of pages of this book， and was very impressed。 The photographs are just stunning， and the writing by Jessica Nabongo just drew me right in。 I can't wait to read the completed book in full。Jessica became the first black woman to visit all 195 recognized countries in the world， and this is her travelogue describing her favorite 100 places。 。。。more
Cathy
，
I absolutely loved the sample of this book 。 I can’t wait to read the rest of this book when it becomes available。The author， Jessica Nabongo makes you feel like you are right there exploring new places with her。 The pictures she shares in this book are so vivid。I would like to thank NetGalley and National Geographic for the opportunity to read the sample of this wonderful book。
The Story Girl
，
I enjoyed learning about a few of the countries Jessica Nabongo visisted in this excerpt of her book。 In addition to travel stories， she also told stories about going to Uganda in the summers growing up， as well as what identity means to her - having been born in the US to Ugandan immigrants。 It was also fascinating to me how she was brave enough to give up a six-figure job to travel the world， and inspiring at the same time！ I am definitely looking forward to reading the whole book when it come I enjoyed learning about a few of the countries Jessica Nabongo visisted in this excerpt of her book。 In addition to travel stories， she also told stories about going to Uganda in the summers growing up， as well as what identity means to her - having been born in the US to Ugandan immigrants。 It was also fascinating to me how she was brave enough to give up a six-figure job to travel the world， and inspiring at the same time！ I am definitely looking forward to reading the whole book when it comes out。 。。。more
Deb
，
4 colorful starsI received a small sample of Catch Me if You Can， featuring 3 of the 100 countries Jessica Nabongo writes about。 I love the bright colorful photos and backgrounds in the sample。 As a just turned senior citizen， I feel like I need a refresher course on geography and this book would be a fun， interesting way to do that。 A small insert shows where each country is located。 Nabongo is a gifted， highly educated Ugandan American who traveled to every country in the world。 I admire that 4 colorful starsI received a small sample of Catch Me if You Can， featuring 3 of the 100 countries Jessica Nabongo writes about。 I love the bright colorful photos and backgrounds in the sample。 As a just turned senior citizen， I feel like I need a refresher course on geography and this book would be a fun， interesting way to do that。 A small insert shows where each country is located。 Nabongo is a gifted， highly educated Ugandan American who traveled to every country in the world。 I admire that she basically forged her own brand。 Photos of her wearing bold colors are artistically portrayed。 I’d have to read more of the book to see if it ends up being more about Nabongo than about the countries she visits。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marian
，
While I was only able to preview a sampler of Jessica Nabongo's book -- The Catch Me if You Can -- I do want to read more and will definitely get the book once it's published。 Nabongo is the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 UN-recognized countries and since I'm a traveler at heart， her adventures intrigue me。In reading the sampler， I only got a glimpse （really a cursory account） of her visits to these countries。 Writers need to "show" not "tell。" In the short sample that I read， Nabo While I was only able to preview a sampler of Jessica Nabongo's book -- The Catch Me if You Can -- I do want to read more and will definitely get the book once it's published。 Nabongo is the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 UN-recognized countries and since I'm a traveler at heart， her adventures intrigue me。In reading the sampler， I only got a glimpse （really a cursory account） of her visits to these countries。 Writers need to "show" not "tell。" In the short sample that I read， Nabongo did more "telling" than "showing" so that as a reader， I kept wanting more out of her book。 Despite this， I still plan to read the book once it's published， and Nabongo is to be greatly admired for making her travel dreams become a reality。Thank you to #NetGalley and National Geographic for providing an electronic ARC sampler of #TheCatchMeifYouCan。 。。。more
Sam Ann
，
With thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading a sample of The Catch Me if You Can by Jessica Nabongo as an ARC。 I’m struggling to find a single statement strong and precise enough to express “fills me with wanderlust and envy and excitement and pride and interest and inspiration” but I think I’ll have to settle for the far less elegant “aaaahhhhhhh！！！！ I love this book！” 😂Honestly， reading even just the sample made me start imagining trips I want to take， jealousy over Nabong With thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading a sample of The Catch Me if You Can by Jessica Nabongo as an ARC。 I’m struggling to find a single statement strong and precise enough to express “fills me with wanderlust and envy and excitement and pride and interest and inspiration” but I think I’ll have to settle for the far less elegant “aaaahhhhhhh！！！！ I love this book！” 😂Honestly， reading even just the sample made me start imagining trips I want to take， jealousy over Nabongo’s lifestyle， and an innate pride in seeing an amazing woman travel solo and succeed the way she has。 I’m not so proud of my self for the jealousy bit - but I’m honest enough to admit it。 And come on - she’s a highly educated and intelligent woman， owns multiple businesses， is *gorgeous* and has more style in every picture than I’ll demonstrate in a decade， and has accomplished so much travel in her lifetime。 Maybe jealous is the wrong sentiment - I’m in total awe of her。 I want to be her， be her friend， heck just buy her a drink and share travel stories。 I’m so excited for the release of this book- June here we come！ The knocked off star is entirely down to my own personal preference - if I could have it exactly my way I’d have a little more information and history about the countries visited。 。。。more
Robin | BookAdoration Marchadour
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Can you imagine travelling to every country in the world？！ Jessica Nabongo did just that。 This travelogue is full of culture， inspirational stories and breathtaking photos！ This book has left me with a serious desire to travel！ Thank you to @natgeo and Netgalley for this 20 page sampler of an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 I definitely need to read the whole book now！
Nic Ojo （bujos_n_books）
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Sampler Sneak Peak on Net GalleySuch a beautiful cover and vivid pictures inside， but this is nothing short of expected when Jessica Nabingo is at the helm。 Having followed her travels via social media， I am most definitely looking forward to this book。 It gives insight and perspective into a black female's lens in the travel industry。 Although， industry isn't the appropriate word， because Jessica's travel embankment is one of great accomplishment and aspiration。 All I've ever wanted to do was g Sampler Sneak Peak on Net GalleySuch a beautiful cover and vivid pictures inside， but this is nothing short of expected when Jessica Nabingo is at the helm。 Having followed her travels via social media， I am most definitely looking forward to this book。 It gives insight and perspective into a black female's lens in the travel industry。 Although， industry isn't the appropriate word， because Jessica's travel embankment is one of great accomplishment and aspiration。 All I've ever wanted to do was get off the North American continent and travel; Jessica shows me how it's done。 She is truly a travel inspiration。 。。。more
Dylan
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I only received a sampler of this book， but am excited to read the rest when it comes out！ The pictures were absolutely gorgeous and the stories really sparked some wanderlust。 Makes me want to follow in Jessica's footsteps and just start traveling and figuring things out on the go。 I definitely have some new travel goals after reading this！ I only received a sampler of this book， but am excited to read the rest when it comes out！ The pictures were absolutely gorgeous and the stories really sparked some wanderlust。 Makes me want to follow in Jessica's footsteps and just start traveling and figuring things out on the go。 I definitely have some new travel goals after reading this！ 。。。more
Bethany
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100% will be picking this book up as soon as it comes out。 It is fascinating。 Good story， great pictures， I can't wait to travel more with Jessica。 100% will be picking this book up as soon as it comes out。 It is fascinating。 Good story， great pictures， I can't wait to travel more with Jessica。 。。。more
Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
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Like many others， I was given a sampler to review ahead of the book's completion。 This is a really intriguing look at Nabongo's journeys， from a POV and perspective not common among other travel writers who I have read。 Her perspective/Ugandan roots shape her stories in a different worldview， which I very much appreciated especially when she visited place I have also been to。 Nabongo was new to me as I don't follow her blog， but will be doing so。 An excellent read and can't wait for the whole bo Like many others， I was given a sampler to review ahead of the book's completion。 This is a really intriguing look at Nabongo's journeys， from a POV and perspective not common among other travel writers who I have read。 Her perspective/Ugandan roots shape her stories in a different worldview， which I very much appreciated especially when she visited place I have also been to。 Nabongo was new to me as I don't follow her blog， but will be doing so。 An excellent read and can't wait for the whole book 。。。more
Francis Tapon
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