Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to Borneo. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.
These are some of our favorites about Borneo, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.
You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!
Recommended books to read before traveling to Borneo:
Fiction:
- The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Amazon)
- Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Amazon)
- Footsteps by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Amazon)
- House of Glass by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
Nonfiction:
- Finding Myself in Borneo: Sojourns in Sabah by Neill McKee (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Stranger in the Forest: On Foot Across Borneo by Eric Hansen (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
For those looking for more suggestions, here are some other books you may want to consider:
- The Wasting of Borneo: Dispatches from a Vanishing World by Alex Shoumatoff (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure by Carl Hoffman (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo by Birute M. F. Galdikas (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
- The Best of Borneo Travel by Victor T. King (Amazon)
Recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Borneo, Malaysia:
GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching The Soul of a Teacher. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.
GEEO utilizes Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!