Gap Year Girl: A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries

When they were both 55 years old, Bohr and her husband, Joe, decide to quit their jobs, sell their house, and travel to Europe for a “senior year abroad,” retracing the trip the author took during her “gap year” of college 33 years earlier, in 1978. Their journey provides glimpses into the social climates of the various countries they visit, along with insight into the author’s own experiences—past and present—of those cultures. Bohr steps outside of her comfort zone and explores the world, though her reflections seem narrow minded at times. During her visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany, she remarks, “I have no appreciation for the language, don’t like the food, will never get used to how brusque they are, and just can’t forget the history.” Bohr offers a comprehensive account of her trip, including tidbits about the historical significance of various sites the couple visits, and she vividly conveys her experiences, such as when she describes the chaotic streets of Morocco and the loneliness of the bucolic French village Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. (Sept.)