Interview With Author Barry Hoffner

 

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? I was inspired by a devastating loss. My wife, Jackie, died in a tragic accident in Africa in 2017, just as we were entering a new stage of life together. After months of intense grief and loneliness, I began traveling again. At first, travel was a way to escape a home filled with memories, but gradually it became a form of healing.

The turning point came during my trip to Afghanistan, a year after the Taliban takeover. Instead of fear, I felt curiosity and an unexpected connection with the people I met. I realized I wasn’t simply searching for countries, I was searching for human stories. That was when I knew I needed to write this book.

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? Belonging to the World is a memoir about my quest to travel to every country on Earth and the emotional journey that  accompanied it, from grief and disconnection to renewed purpose and belonging.

But it isn’t simply a travel book or a checklist of countries. It is about the people I met, especially in places such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Sudan, countries most of us know primarily through headlines about war and danger. Those encounters challenged my assumptions and expanded my understanding of humanity. The book is for travelers, certainly, but also for anyone facing loss, transition, loneliness, or the need to begin again. You don’t have to travel to every country, or even very far, to recognize yourself in that search.

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope readers come away believing that renewed purpose is possible after loss. Grief may permanently change us, but it does not have to be the end of our story. I also hope the book encourages readers to look beyond headlines and approach unfamiliar people and places with curiosity rather than fear. There is real danger and suffering in the world, but there is also profound beauty in listening to people, respecting their dignity, and trying to understand lives different from our own.

Most of all, I hope readers feel inspired to take their own first step, whether that means traveling, reconnecting with others, or simply becoming more open to the world. The world can change us if we let it.

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title came from the central realization of my journey. After losing Jackie, I felt disconnected from the life and future I had known. Through travel, and especially through the connections I formed with people around the globe, I gradually developed a sense of belonging to something

much larger than myself. I came to feel that I belonged not only to one home or community, but to the world. The cover reflects that emotional journey. The open landscape, distant horizon, and warm light suggest both travel and renewal. It captures the idea of emerging from darkness, looking outward, and discovering that another beginning may still be waiting.

 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers other than run!?

Don’t wait until you know exactly what the story means before you begin writing it. Sometimes writing is how you discover the meaning. Be honest, especially when the truth is uncomfortable, but remember that a memoir should offer the reader more than a record of what happened to you. Ask what your experience might illuminate for someone else. I would also say: stay curious. Listen carefully to other people, question your own assumptions, and be willing to revise—not only your sentences, but your understanding of the story. And

accept that writing something meaningful requires vulnerability, persistence, and a great deal of patience.

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think publishing is heading? Readers now discover and experience books in many different ways, through print, e-books, audiobooks, podcasts, interviews, and online communities. Audiobooks are an especially significant area of growth. At the same time, I believe readers still want something timeless: authentic stories that help them understand lives beyond their own. As our world becomes more divided and much of our information is reduced to alarming headlines or brief social-media posts, books offer the space to slow down, listen, and develop empathy.

Publishing formats will continue to evolve, but our need for compelling human stories will

remain.

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Nearly every part of my life contributed to it. I grew up in a traditional Iraqi-Jewish family in Southern California, and my mother was born in Baghdad, so the Middle East always held a particular pull for me. My first backpacking trip to Europe at 18 awakened a curiosity about the wider world that never left me. My career at J.P. Morgan took me around the globe and helped develop my adaptability, resilience, and comfort in unfamiliar environments. My humanitarian work through Caravan to Class also taught me the importance of listening to people and understanding their lives on their own terms.

Most importantly, loving and losing Jackie gave the book its emotional foundation. The Bourse Jackie scholarship program, which supports women in West Africa, also connects the book’s story to her legacy.

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing

similar to? I would describe my style as reflective, candid, and people-centered. The book combines travel narrative with memoir, history, culture, and personal reflection. I try to bring readers into the immediacy of a place while also exploring what each encounter taught me about grief, connection, and our shared humanity. Rather than presenting myself as a heroic adventurer, I try to remain curious and honest about my assumptions, including the occasions when the people I met forced me to reconsider them. The book belongs to the tradition of reflective travel memoirs in which the external journey becomes an internal one. Ultimately, though, I hope the voice feels distinctly my own.

 

9. What challenges did you overcome in writing this book? The greatest challenge was returning to the most painful period of my life. Writing about Jackie meant revisiting the phone call that changed everything, the shock that followed, and the loneliness of trying to imagine a future without her. There was also the challenge of shaping an enormous journey, 72 new countries, more than 600,000 miles, and hundreds of encounters, into a coherent story. I had to look beyond the statistics and decide what the journey was actually about.

Finally, I wanted to avoid turning the people I met into background characters in my adventure. Their stories deserved care, dignity, and context. The challenge was to tell my own story while honoring theirs.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I would never claim that one book is right for everyone, but I believe Belonging to the World

offers something urgently needed: a hopeful, firsthand view of our shared humanity.

It takes readers beyond the headlines and into encounters with people whose warmth, dignity,

humor, and generosity are often missing from the stories told about their countries. It is also an honest account of grief and the possibility of finding renewed purpose at any stage of life.

And the book has an impact beyond its pages: 100 percent of the proceeds support  scholarships for women in West Africa through the Bourse Jackie program, created in my wife’s name. So reading it becomes part of a continuing story of connection and opportunity.

 

About The Author: After a fifteen-year career in investment banking that took him around the world, Barry transitioned into a second career farming grapes and olives. His Silverwood Ranch olive oil has earned multiple gold medals, and his wine grapes have been bottled into Francis Ford Coppola’s Archimedes wine. Today, Barry is the founder of Caravan to Class, a nonprofit he launched in 2010 to advance girls’ education in West Africa through the Bourse Jackie program, named in honor of his late wife. His book, Belonging to the World (Girl Friday Books), chronicles his journey to every country in the world following Jackie’s tragic passing in Africa in late 2017. Barry is passionate about the world and has visited 192 of 193 countries, earning distinction of Most Purposeful Traveler 2025 (NomadMania Annual Traveler Awards).

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 9, 750,000 page views. With over 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum