The Same River Twice

A Memoir of Dirtbag Backpackers, Bomb Shelters, and Bad Travel

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The Same River Twice

By: Pam Mandel

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam

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About this listen

Acclaimed travel writer Pam Mandel's thrilling account of a life-defining journey from the California suburbs to Israel to the Himalayan peaks and back.

Given the choice, Pam Mandel would say no and stay home. It was getting her nowhere, so she decided to say yes. Yes to unknown countries, night shifts, language lessons, bad decisions, to anything to make her feel real, visible, alive.

A product of beige California suburbs, Mandel was overlooked and unexceptional. When her father ships her off on a youth group tour of Israel, he inadvertently catapults his 17-year-old daughter into a world of angry European backpackers, seize-the-day Israelis, and the fall out of Cold War-era politics. Border violence hadn't been on the birthright tour agenda. But neither had domestic violence, going broke, getting wasted, getting sick, or getting lost.

With no guidance and no particular plan, Mandel says yes to everything and everyone, embarking on an adventure across three continents and thousands of miles, from a cold water London flat to rural Pakistan, from the Nile River Delta to the snowy peaks of Ladakh, and finally, back home to California, determined to shape a life that is truly hers.

Pam MandelKhristine HvamTantor Media

Adventurers, Explorers & Survival

Middle East

Travel Writing & Commentary

Women

Memoir

Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Middle East Travel Writing & Commentary Women Memoir

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Tackles the common issue of intimate partner violence and how hard it is to be assertive when you are so young. The adult brain is not mature until 25, Pam’s parents did not know this at the time she tells her story, shame as their lack of support did not help her feel safe or indeed have a safe place.

Excellent really good listen

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I liked the honesty of the writer and her thoughts about her surroundings and the people she met

The story

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I didn't have any rapport with Pam on her journey. It just showed her utter lack of respect for Israeli customs, everyone is aware that dressing in shorts and t shirts to walk around unaccompanied is disrespectful when every female is modestly covered head to foot, and l dont believe her claims 'she did not know this was unacceptable' for one second. She comes across as an absolute 'free loader' and not likeable in the slightest. To make make matters worse, we have a nasally whiney narrator who constantly pronounces Jerusalem as 'Jeruzzzzzlam'

No shame in disrespecting Israeli culture.

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