Voice of a Voyage

Rediscovering the World During a Ten-year Circumnavigation

Non-Fiction - Memoir
274 Pages
Reviewed on 11/24/2014
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Author Biography

I used to say that I've had an interesting life until I was told that is a Chinese curse. I still think I've had an interesting life, but I think of it as a blessing. I share Mark Twain's view that travel is "poisonous to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." I've traveled a fair amount including a trip to China in 1978 before tourist visas to look at the role of women in the Chinese economy.
I've been an environmental lobbyist in Washington, D.C.; a freelance writer; a single parent; a town councilperson; a newspaper editor and publisher; CEO/president of a technical writing company that I started; general contractor for the building of my own home in Telluride, Colorado; a contract editor and indexer of academic books; a prize-winning author and poet; and an activist in the early women’s movement. I live in the Colorado Rockies in a home I planned for “aging in place,” far from the sea, but with views of mountains that remind me of the untrammeled places of Earth.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jane Finch for Readers' Favorite

Voice of a Voyage: Rediscovering the World During a Ten-year Circumnavigation by Doann Houghton-Alico is the author’s personal story of her travels aboard her yacht on an epic voyage with her husband. The voyage spanned ten years and circumnavigated the globe. The journey included 41 countries and consisted of 43,000 nautical miles. As well as detailing the incredible places visited, the author is able to use her love of scuba diving to explore and explain the oceans and the creatures within. Starting with a horrendous storm that depicts the vulnerability of sailors, Doann takes the reader on a journey across the vast oceans to exotic places, meeting amazing people, and experiencing diverse cultures.

This book is a way to travel the globe from the comfort of your armchair. I was immediately transported to the violent seas and crashing waves in the opening chapter, which was a clever beginning to draw the reader into the journey and experiences to come. Doann has a clear and concise approach to her writing which is also informative and believable. Her clear knowledge and experience shine through in her written word. Not only does the reader experience the violence of the oceans, but also their tranquility and immensity by the descriptive writing. At age sixty many would look to retire and settle down to a quieter more relaxed way of life. For author Doann Houghton-Alico, however, it was time to set out on the adventure of a lifetime. I found this book both daunting and inspirational at the same time and plan to read it again when I need reminding that anything is possible.