Uncommon Traveler

Brown, D. (2000). Uncommon traveler. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This book is about Mary Kingsley, a woman who spent much of her life in West Africa in the late 1800s. It talks about her adventures of learning about a new culture and a people much different from herself. The books speaks of the reward of being willing to step outside of your comfort zone, yet also touches on the risks involved in doing so. People thought that Mary was crazy for leaving her home to go live amongst people she did not have much in common with. Finally, it goes through the differences she encountered when she was living there and how she dealt with it. Some of the differences are humorous and some are serious, which provides a great learning opportunity for its readers. 
This book would be a great tool for a social studies class focusing on biographies. It allows readers to get a glimpse into African culture as well as encourages experiences that push us beyond what is comfortable.