Notre Dame Press is proud to publish stories from around the globe. Whether you’re taking a trip this summer or staying home, when you pick up a Notre Dame Press book, you can visit countries across the world from your very own couch.
Personal stories resonate deeply, and these memoirs and autobiographies let you hear firsthand experiences from their authors. From a U.S. Foreign Diplomat to a Palestinian priest, from an Irish poet to a Russian Nobel prize winner, we’re grateful to have these stories in their authors’ own words.
Take a look at our list below and experience a whole new perspective.
Abroad for Her Country:
Tales of a Pioneer Woman Ambassador in the U.S. Foreign Service
by Jean M. Wilkowski
“A serious and charming autobiography of a pioneer woman diplomat. Madeleine and Condi would not have made it to Secretary of State without Ambassador Wilkowski’s courage and skill.”
—Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Resources (1993–2001)
Beyond East and West
by John C.H. Wu
“John C. H. Wu’s Beyond East and West is truly among the great classics of Sino-Western and Sino-Christian writing. It is a great service that the University of Notre Dame Press is making Wu’s poignant memoir available again—scholars and general readers will rediscover the rich intellectual and spiritual reflections that only Wu can offer.”
—Anthony E. Clark, Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair, Whitworth University
We Belong to the Land:
The Story of a Palestinian Israeli Who Lives for Peace and Reconciliation
by Elias Chacour with Mary E. Jensen
“A wrenching and determinedly honest book that speaks eloquently and without hatred from the Palestinian side of a tragic conflict.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Finding Ireland:
A Poet’s Explorations of Irish Literature and Culture
by Richard Tillinghast
“Finding Ireland: A Poet’s Explorations of Irish Literature and Culture is a book that combines poetry and memoir as Tillinghast describes his adoption of Ireland as his new home after living in the United States for most of his life. A must for anyone who wants to learn about the home of St. Patrick.”
—Midwest Book Review
From the Cast-Iron Shore:
In Lifelong Pursuit of Liberal Learning
by Francis Oakley
“This is an extraordinary book. One of Francis Oakley’s rare qualities is his ability to stand back and look at himself and the situation objectively, even at the time. . . . And as he hints, faculties today face some of the same challenges. They can well learn from him.”
—Jeffrey B. Russell, emeritus, University of California, Santa Barbara
Between Two Millstones, Book 1:
Sketches of Exile, 1974–1978
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
“[Solzhenitsyn] was a polymath, an able scientist, and mathematician who devoured literature in many languages. . . . For readers who seek to understand one of the pivotal geniuses of the 20th century, Between Two Millstones is a treasure.”
—Claremont Review of Books
Barrio Boy:
40th Anniversary Edition
by Ernesto Galarza
“The story embodies a key phase of immigration when the barrio becomes our first community to embrace or overcome. After all is said and done, the ‘barrio boy’ stays true to himself as an apprentice to Americanism without sacrificing his origins. He proves that being bicultural and bilingual are positive qualities worthy of upholding.”
—Francisco A. Lomeli, University of California, Santa Barbara
Memoirs Red and White:
Poland, the War, and After
by Peter F. Dembowski
“Peter F. Dembowski’s Memoirs Red and White: Poland, the War, and After is the moving testimony of an individual who has had firsthand knowledge of the most dramatic moments in the history of the twentieth century. His story is one of heroic courage, honesty, and optimism.”
—Thomas Pavel Gordon J. Laing Distinguished Service Professor in Romance Languages and Literature, University of Chicago