[Sample Review] The Catch Me If You Can by Jessica Nabongo

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!

Black travel? Black Women traveling? Black Women solo traveling?! I am beyond sold. 

My first sample read via NetGalley, the description of Jessica's Nabongo's The Catch Me if You Can was the cherry on top of the cake that was the cover of the book. On it Nabongo appears carefree, radiating a relaxation and joy against a blue waters, presumably tropical. The world of Black travelers, often Black Americans, and the fearlessness they embody or learn as they embark the world over for me appears and at the very least is another brand of the Black luxury niche. Because to some degree one has to have the luxury of time, a financial flexibility, and a political or social freedom. That said, it's one thing to be able to travel the world, it's another thing to do it.

Previewing the full book (expected publication May 2022), an outline of her career journey precedes further expansion of her familial roots and a quick jaunt Asia via snippets of the chapters on Uganda, Laos, Indonesia, and Iran. Nabongo sets the stage relating her travel stories, her approach to travel, and the wondrous sights she's seen the world over. The wordsmithing is top tier. With my GeoGuessr map maker handy as I read along, adding what cities and locales I could because they sounded so interesting, I felt like I was traveling with her.

20 pages of a 400 plus page book is a slice of a slice of cake. Or maybe it's a tarte? Regardless, it was a rich taste. Not in the "this chocolate is too rich to eat anymore" way. Instead it was rich in the "I'm hiding and hoarding this cake to eat alone and on my own time I'll tell you how to get or make some" way. Was that too specific? From what I can tell this is going to be an epic read, one I expect if I were to read in its entirety I'd rate 5 stars.

The Catch Me if You Can (ISBN: 9781426222269) is due for publication May 22, 2022).