An international book reading tour: reflection, conclusion and learnings

Meanwhile, I completed my tour with 36 readings in 7 European countries. I spoke to diverse audiences, from school children to business people, and noticed that the reactions also vary by country – for example, the Dutch smile at different sentences than Austrians.

Every reading was unique, but especially memorable were places connected with my book, like Voorthuizen and Zedelgem. Furthermore, it was an experience when interpreters simultaneously translated the reading from German into Czech (Prague) or French (Luxemburg). Speaking to 200 people on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War was also a highlight.

It was a journey filled with impressions and insights into places, landscapes, cultures and languages. I also visited historically significant sites where I could extend my research: Normandy, Buchenwald, Dresden, the former Sudetenland, Lidice, the Somme and Verdun.

Three aspects that proved to be most valuable on the tour included:

• A mobile printer to be able to spontaneously print something out.

• A headset with a voice amplifier – I have a rather quiet voice and organisers sometimes don’t consider a microphone necessary for smaller audiences.

• The fact that my books are shrink-wrapped. This way, they are protected from humidity as I leave them in the car.

I appreciated being able to see many places in the time between the readings – like the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the Swiss Alps or the High Fens in Belgium. However, a reading tour is not a holiday. It is demanding, both physically and mentally. Travelling for months, you need a lot of time in between to regenerate and process experiences.

I had organised the tour myself – planning the route, booking accommodations, ensuring that the equipment is available on the event location – and had planned every single day in advance in an online calendar: appointments, travel and buffer times.

But I learned that no matter how precisely you plan, things don’t always go as expected. You need to stay flexible. Furthermore, it was an interesting observation that the own thinking is oriented differently in each place. And I realised – the more insights I gained, the more perspectives I took and the more knowledge I absorbed – how complex the world is and how little an individual can actually know in a lifetime.

When you travel, you get to know yourself and find out what is important to you. Over the past months, I reflected a lot and worked on my professional positioning.

Through this, I realised that it is my aim to contribute to understanding and reconciliation. I want to encourage reflection, raise awareness and foster a nuanced way of thinking in order to build bridges and strengthen relations between nationalities.

Thanks to all the organisers, listeners and everyone I had the chance to meet and who made this reading tour memorable.