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Tell Them My Name
Tell Them My Name is an inspiring true story that explores how even the most impossible dreams can come true when unlikely friendships are built across cultures. In this offbeat travel memoir, four strangers from three countries, with barely a common language between them, decide to adopt each other as family and take on the world.
Dar Kumari is an indigenous Gurung woman living in the Nepali Himalayas with her elderly husband, Nar Bahadur. Their mud-brick house is in a remote farming village that has no electricity and can only be reached on foot. Their lives are turned upside down when a local NGO sends the Australian author, Laura, and her French husband, David, to live with their family while they help build the mountain's first library.
Dar Kumari adopts the newcomers as if they were her children, but she's baffled this married couple show no interest in having a baby and can't even cook rice over a fire or clean a mud floor. Eventually, Laura and David invite their Nepali 'parents' to travel with them back to Europe-maybe if they experience the other side of their cultural differences, it might help them understand each other better? For one month this quirky international family travel together through six countries exploring the differences between their cultures and the places they call home.
Tell Them My Name takes you on a journey, sharing often hilarious observations about 'normal' life in different cultures and shining a much needed light on why so many of us are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted all the time.
Dar Kumari is an indigenous Gurung woman living in the Nepali Himalayas with her elderly husband, Nar Bahadur. Their mud-brick house is in a remote farming village that has no electricity and can only be reached on foot. Their lives are turned upside down when a local NGO sends the Australian author, Laura, and her French husband, David, to live with their family while they help build the mountain's first library.
Dar Kumari adopts the newcomers as if they were her children, but she's baffled this married couple show no interest in having a baby and can't even cook rice over a fire or clean a mud floor. Eventually, Laura and David invite their Nepali 'parents' to travel with them back to Europe-maybe if they experience the other side of their cultural differences, it might help them understand each other better? For one month this quirky international family travel together through six countries exploring the differences between their cultures and the places they call home.
Tell Them My Name takes you on a journey, sharing often hilarious observations about 'normal' life in different cultures and shining a much needed light on why so many of us are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted all the time.
- GenresTravelMemoirNonfiction
318 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2022
14 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 14, 2022
What an amazing book! I have struggled to read any book over the past few years.
I have about 10 books on my nightstand waiting to be read. Or I’ve read the first page and then went ‘meh’..
But I tried this book, and I can honestly say it drew me in straight away! I finished it in a few nights (which is fast for me). My husband kept wincing “to turn that light off… are you still reading..??!”
I honestly laughed out loud on occasion, and got a few pearls of Nepal wisdom too. It was so easy to read, and super interesting.
Laura really managed to draw me into the trip, and I could see it all in my minds eye.. (really - this is going to be a film one day, trust me). The only thing I regretted at the end of the book was that I never got to meet Aama and Baba 🥰
Highly recommend this book!
I have about 10 books on my nightstand waiting to be read. Or I’ve read the first page and then went ‘meh’..
But I tried this book, and I can honestly say it drew me in straight away! I finished it in a few nights (which is fast for me). My husband kept wincing “to turn that light off… are you still reading..??!”
I honestly laughed out loud on occasion, and got a few pearls of Nepal wisdom too. It was so easy to read, and super interesting.
Laura really managed to draw me into the trip, and I could see it all in my minds eye.. (really - this is going to be a film one day, trust me). The only thing I regretted at the end of the book was that I never got to meet Aama and Baba 🥰
Highly recommend this book!
February 25, 2022
Brilliant! This is exactly the kind of travel book I love to read, with a strong focus on culture and human interactions. Laura's descriptions are vivid, the characters lovable and the story told with such humour. Most importantly, it's told without condescension. It's easy to be funny if you're condescending (just ask Bill Bryson), but to show the humour with such compassion that you laugh and cry at the same time takes true skill. Or at least a lot of hard work.
February 18, 2022
An amazing story that makes you laugh, makes you cry and most importantly makes you think. All around the world the way we live is not better or worse it’s just different and this book is a wonderful story that teaches you that.
October 14, 2022
I found Laura Maya fascinating since she has visited almost sixty countries.
I kept turning the pages when she and her husband went to a foreign country to build a library in the mountains. They stayed with a couple who spoke a different language. But I was quickly immersed in the story when a bond developed between the four of them. They treated each other like they were long-lost relatives. The details about the small village in Nepal make me want to see it for myself and see if I can find a new addition to my family. Everyone can learn something from these outsiders who love strangers in Tell Them My Name.
I kept turning the pages when she and her husband went to a foreign country to build a library in the mountains. They stayed with a couple who spoke a different language. But I was quickly immersed in the story when a bond developed between the four of them. They treated each other like they were long-lost relatives. The details about the small village in Nepal make me want to see it for myself and see if I can find a new addition to my family. Everyone can learn something from these outsiders who love strangers in Tell Them My Name.
March 25, 2022
Laura Maya’s tell them my name will take you instantly into the Nepalese mountains and then off to Europe on an emotional journey that will have u laughing, crying and inspiring you in so many ways. Transcending cultural and social boundaries, financial and language limitations to make dreams come true, Laura & David, ama & baba show you that our differences only make those we choose as family so much stronger.A must read for this year!!.
March 23, 2022
Amazing read.A beautiful story about travel and differences and we can all become one.
July 15, 2025
What happens when a travelling volunteer couple invites their host family, from a remote mountain-side village in Nepal, to accompany them back to Europe?
This is a book that overflows with love and trust, as the young French-Australian couple and their Nepali hosts forge a new family. Seeing Europe through the eyes of two indigenous Gurung elders is more than an education – it might have you questioning much of what you’ve always taken for granted.
Despite its serious themes, it’s funny! And easy to read.
There are so many potential pitfalls for a book like this. It could have been patronising, or smug, or a collection of belittling stereotypes. Instead, the pages are filled with respect and dignity. One gets the sense that the author is constantly questioning her own viewpoints, aware of her privilege, and I deeply appreciate the sensitivity with which she has taken on this project.
This is a book that overflows with love and trust, as the young French-Australian couple and their Nepali hosts forge a new family. Seeing Europe through the eyes of two indigenous Gurung elders is more than an education – it might have you questioning much of what you’ve always taken for granted.
Despite its serious themes, it’s funny! And easy to read.
There are so many potential pitfalls for a book like this. It could have been patronising, or smug, or a collection of belittling stereotypes. Instead, the pages are filled with respect and dignity. One gets the sense that the author is constantly questioning her own viewpoints, aware of her privilege, and I deeply appreciate the sensitivity with which she has taken on this project.
March 31, 2022
Right from the outset I was hooked and struggled to put it down. Laura Maya writes with effortless eloquence, wisdom and insight.
I laughed and I cried. I even found myself highlighting parts and dog-earring pages so I could come back to ponder the wisdom and profoundness contained within the pages. It’s thought-provoking for “us” the privileged to be provided insights we’d never know, had it not been for Laura and David’s travels. What an honour to be given this opportunity as a reader, to view inside the lives and minds of these beautiful Nepali people and explore cultural understandings. This book will stand the test of time.
I laughed and I cried. I even found myself highlighting parts and dog-earring pages so I could come back to ponder the wisdom and profoundness contained within the pages. It’s thought-provoking for “us” the privileged to be provided insights we’d never know, had it not been for Laura and David’s travels. What an honour to be given this opportunity as a reader, to view inside the lives and minds of these beautiful Nepali people and explore cultural understandings. This book will stand the test of time.
February 11, 2022
I love, love, love this book.
It took me on a grand adventure that I did not want to end. It is such and inspiring tale.
This story shows that all it take is determination and courage to achieve your biggest dreams.
I recommend this book to everyone.
It took me on a grand adventure that I did not want to end. It is such and inspiring tale.
This story shows that all it take is determination and courage to achieve your biggest dreams.
I recommend this book to everyone.
September 18, 2022
What a special book that was. I couldn’t put it down and I felt very honoured to have shared in Aama and Baba’s journey through Europe.
October 22, 2022
After trekking to Everest base camp, Laura and David decide to give something back by building a library in an isolated village in Nepal. There is no electricity, running water, or any infrastructure at all, and the only way to get there is on foot. As they survive by living off the land as subsistence farmers, Laura wonders if the desperately poor locals even wanted a library but because of the language barrier, could not make their voices heard.
Over the years, they befriend Aama and Baba, their hosts, and they become like family, even though proficiency in each other’s languages is limited. With the support of David’s family back in France, the couple invite their Nepali parents on a month-long trip to Europe. That such an undertaking didn’t end in tears is down to mutual trust, love and understanding in this extraordinary cross-cultural relationship.
Aama and Baba’s struggle to get food on the table in Nepal is unrelenting, and they can’t believe how privileged we are in the West with our supermarkets, constant hot water, and luxuries such as weekends and holidays. After reading this book, I couldn’t help but question my hypocrisy over why we treat certain animals as family members but others as dinner.
Laura Maya’s polished prose is a delight to read, and her sense of humour shines through as she shares the highs and lows of this incredible adventure. She takes a volunteering abroad story and turns it on its head in this thought-provoking feel-good memoir. The last word, though, is best left to Aama. Tell them my name, she instructs Laura. It is Dar Kumari.
Over the years, they befriend Aama and Baba, their hosts, and they become like family, even though proficiency in each other’s languages is limited. With the support of David’s family back in France, the couple invite their Nepali parents on a month-long trip to Europe. That such an undertaking didn’t end in tears is down to mutual trust, love and understanding in this extraordinary cross-cultural relationship.
Aama and Baba’s struggle to get food on the table in Nepal is unrelenting, and they can’t believe how privileged we are in the West with our supermarkets, constant hot water, and luxuries such as weekends and holidays. After reading this book, I couldn’t help but question my hypocrisy over why we treat certain animals as family members but others as dinner.
Laura Maya’s polished prose is a delight to read, and her sense of humour shines through as she shares the highs and lows of this incredible adventure. She takes a volunteering abroad story and turns it on its head in this thought-provoking feel-good memoir. The last word, though, is best left to Aama. Tell them my name, she instructs Laura. It is Dar Kumari.
December 15, 2022
How to sum up this book? Australian Laura and her French husband David have trekked to Everest base camp, and decide to stay on in Nepal to give something back to the country. They find themselves building a library in a village so cut off that there is no electricity or roads. They don't speak Nepali, and their hosts don't speak English, but somehow, over this and subsequent visits they become close with the elderly couple, Aama and Baba, and invite them on a month long vacation to discover Europe. Neither have any idea of what the outside world is like. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it becomes the most heartwarming story. Beautifully and sensitively written by Laura, this is an amazing odyssey. I was fascinated by the things that we take for for granted: using the shower or toilet, eating with cutlery, shopping in the supermarket, that had to be learned by self-sufficient people who eat with their hands. And the amazement at seeing the ocean, ride-on mowers, and hot showers. My favorite photo of the year is Aama and Baba in front of the Eiffel Tower. This is an inspiring, entertaining, and at times, emotional story. I encourage you to read it. I loved it.
May 1, 2022
This book was an absolute joy to read. Compassionate, humour-filled, warm. It isn't always joyful - it has some poignant moments of self-reflection for both the author and, in turn, the reader. It is clear reading this book that Laura's strength isn't only connecting with people from near and far in person - her beautiful writing fosters connection through the pages of this book.
July 28, 2022
This is a heart warming book that is beautifully written. You feel like a passenger alongside Laura as she writes of the trials and tribulations of language and cultural barriers as she and her husband travel into Nepal and then through Europe with their Nepalese ‘parents’. I laughed and cried along as I read the book. A must read!
May 14, 2022
Laura, you have inspired me to write my first review. Such a wonderful read, so thought provoking, inspiring and warm-hearted. I felt I was there with you and David on your journey. I will tell them your name!
April 30, 2022
Absolutely delightful!
December 8, 2023
Thanks you Laura for this beautifully written, insightful and generous book that provides such a window into life of Nepalese villagers.
Not only do we learn a lot from Laura’s perspectives but also from those of her Nepalese ‘parents’.
It was so wonderful to get to know Dar Kumari (Aama) and her husband Baba… and hear their voices 🙏.
I laughed and I teared up as you relayed their many escapades travelling through Europe and your own experiences living in their Nepal village!
Not sure many of us could do what you have done ✅.
It took me right back to my recent visit to Nepal.
The book also had me reminiscing my father’s family who live in a rural village in Romania… so many parallels!
It also made me think about the many ethics involved in being part of internationally adopted families 😉 as we have our own in Myanmar and Tonga. 😁
Thank you Laura and David for being the team 🩷🩵 you are and for gently make a difference to the lives of others- wherever you are planted in this world.
I highly recommend this book 🫶
Not only do we learn a lot from Laura’s perspectives but also from those of her Nepalese ‘parents’.
It was so wonderful to get to know Dar Kumari (Aama) and her husband Baba… and hear their voices 🙏.
I laughed and I teared up as you relayed their many escapades travelling through Europe and your own experiences living in their Nepal village!
Not sure many of us could do what you have done ✅.
It took me right back to my recent visit to Nepal.
The book also had me reminiscing my father’s family who live in a rural village in Romania… so many parallels!
It also made me think about the many ethics involved in being part of internationally adopted families 😉 as we have our own in Myanmar and Tonga. 😁
Thank you Laura and David for being the team 🩷🩵 you are and for gently make a difference to the lives of others- wherever you are planted in this world.
I highly recommend this book 🫶
September 6, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. It is a wonderful and humbling experience to read how Laura Maya’s world as a Western woman is turned upside down by the powerful insights on European culture delivered by her adopted Nepali parents, Aama and Baba. These two wise and practical souls, whose lives have revolved solely around their village in Nepal, experience modern Europe for the first time and without any preconceived knowledge. It is fascinating, funny and hugely enlightening to see our culture as perceived by people whose lives have never known nine-to-five jobs, holidays, sport or even weekends. As Laura and her husband, David, learn that everything they have taken for granted is to be questioned, the reader also learns to see life from Aama and Baba’s perspective and it is a profoundly moving process. Thank you Laura Maya for introducing us to these remarkable and perceptive people. I recommend it to everyone as both a must and a should read.
February 17, 2024
This book was beautiful! It tells the story of Aama and Baba’s journey to Europe in a way that warms your heart and makes you laugh.
The author’s reflections throughout the book, as she starts to see a number of things in a new way, are masterfully woven into the story, so that it feels really natural. Notable example, the opening of a second bottle of wine at dinner, I was there for the frustration and there for the a-ha moment. It never feels like the author is trying to teach you, but is just bringing you with her on her own reflection.
This is a new approach to travel memoir, it draws upon fish out of water themes but in a novel way. Seeing Western European culture through the eyes of another was really powerful. The book is funny but never at the expense of Aama and Baba. Stories of cultural misunderstanding and mishaps are shared sensitively and with love.
Laura Maya, I'm excited to read your next book!
The author’s reflections throughout the book, as she starts to see a number of things in a new way, are masterfully woven into the story, so that it feels really natural. Notable example, the opening of a second bottle of wine at dinner, I was there for the frustration and there for the a-ha moment. It never feels like the author is trying to teach you, but is just bringing you with her on her own reflection.
This is a new approach to travel memoir, it draws upon fish out of water themes but in a novel way. Seeing Western European culture through the eyes of another was really powerful. The book is funny but never at the expense of Aama and Baba. Stories of cultural misunderstanding and mishaps are shared sensitively and with love.
Laura Maya, I'm excited to read your next book!
April 26, 2025
This book was shared with me by Ama while i stayed with her family in her village for 3 days. It was such a magical experience and being and able to understand her culture through the book made the experience all the more special. Its a light hearted book and i had some good laughs reading about Ama travelling experiences in europe and her fascination with the european world that is so different from the traditional way of life. It is also inspiring to learn about laura and david story in starting the homestay opportunity from their volunteer work and developing such a close relationship with the family. I finished the book all in a day in the comfort of Ama house!
May 3, 2022
This travel memoir is Maya's first book. The Australian author is married to a French man and together they visit Nepal where they befriend the older couple with whom they stay in a remote Himalayan village. They later invite them to travel to Europe with them and it is a fascinating tale of different cultures, at times hilarious, educational and inspirational. Set in Nepal and Europe I really enjoyed the read, especially having visited Nepal many times myself.
May 22, 2023
What a beautiful touching story about different cultures and their ways of doing things. Not good or bad as Laura Maya sais, just different. The emotional rollercoaster was authentic and genuine written. With beautiful insights of all people involved. It was entertaining, hilarious and so wholeheartedly. I feel full now as everything came to full circle.
March 13, 2025
Heartwarming and inspiring
I laughed, I cried, had many of my beliefs supported and loved getting to know the wonderful characters of this story. In a few months my husband and I will return to Nepal for my sixth visit to trek, support education and home building and know, we, too, belong with our extended Nepalese family,
I laughed, I cried, had many of my beliefs supported and loved getting to know the wonderful characters of this story. In a few months my husband and I will return to Nepal for my sixth visit to trek, support education and home building and know, we, too, belong with our extended Nepalese family,
April 2, 2023
I found this book inspiring and encouraging on many levels.
I think everyone would find reading this book beneficial by reminding us of the basics of what connects us whilst making us more accepting of what defines us and others.
An interesting & thought provoking read.
I think everyone would find reading this book beneficial by reminding us of the basics of what connects us whilst making us more accepting of what defines us and others.
An interesting & thought provoking read.
April 19, 2023
This book is a testament to the truth that travel is fatal to prejudice. And when viewing your own culture through the eyes of another, it holds up a mirror and makes you ask why. Why do you _____? And the answer probably isn't "because."
November 7, 2022
A lovely story about human relationships that overcome cultural differences.
August 8, 2023
An interesting real life story of culture clashes, strong women and faraway places. It is a story about diversity, tolerance, acceptance and real friendship.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews