Worlds Apart – a Book Review by Greg Albrecht

Living in a foreign country and culture as an expatriate is one of the peak experiences of my life. Looking back almost 60 years, I can see that attending college, being married, becoming a father while beginning a now more than 55-year career in ministry, all while living in England, was a “graduate immersion program” in living outside myself. Being a “Yank” in England for seven years was not easy, but meaningful and worthwhile education is not a walk in the park or a day at the beach. I am always intrigued with those who had an adventure which might offer a nexus to my own.

That said, I recommend “World’s Apart – A Memoir of Uncertain Belonging” by Sarah Lutterodt. I find Sarah’s memories of her life experiences in England, Africa and the United States not only valuable for those who have literally resided and worked as an alien in another country, but filled with wise insights for all of us, as we struggle to make sense of the boundaries, borders, limitations and indeed our personal identity in an ever-changing world and culture.

Sarah’s story begins in 1940, a World War 2 “war baby” in Surrey, just south of London. Her memoir is filled with her reflections about assessing, then and now, who she is, how she is and where she fits in the world.

Her search for identity and belonging initially centers on and is informed by being British and Catholic. She ponders the boundaries of her early life – “In the world in which we lived, there was no question that Britain won the war. The myth of British superiority was unquestioned. Along with social class and religion, nationality was an essential pillar of the identity bequeathed to me. A birthright if you will. Being British and at the pinnacle of a worldwide empire carried with it a sense of invincibility, not to say superiority. It was a comforting myth for a child. Never mind the empire was on the verge of disintegration” (page 9).

Sarah started life as a Catholic, explaining, “In the 1940s and 50s Catholicism was still regarded with considerable suspicion in England. Catholics felt a need to be ever ready with an excuse for the church’s proclivities…” She reflects “Our world was divided neatly into ‘us and them’: Catholics and the rest…. It deeply influenced my direction in life, even if I now have a more detached view of the Catholic Church will all its strictures and constraints” (pages 14-15).

Nationalistic and religious identity markers were only the beginning of a lifetime of adventures for Sarah – or “Sally” as her family called her. After graduation from Oxford, she moved to Ghana beginning a long career in academia, and then in the business world, while in the process establishing deep and lasting connections with Africa, its people and culture. Once again, her memoir reveals that as much as she enjoyed Ghana she never felt as if she fully belonged.

In Ghana, she met and fell in love with Clement, a mathematician who eventually became her husband. When her mother traveled to Ghana for a visit, upon meeting Clement, she pronounced him to be a “nice young man” but never guessed Sarah and Clement were dating.

A few months later, when Sarah and Clement visited England and her family, when her mother realized the relationship was serious, Sarah recalls what her mother was probably feeling : “Clement wasn’t Catholic, not even British, let alone from the right social class. Worse still, he was Black!” (page 97).

Sarah recalls, “That Clement was studying for a Ph.D. in mathematics at an excellent British university might have impressed some people, but it meant little to most of my relatives.” Sarah looks back, admitting she was in “no mood to listen…” to her family. “I saw no reason to be influenced by their advice… I was already living outside of the framework of my childhood years” (page 97).

Given my selected comments and quotes to this point, taken the early years of her life, some might conclude that Sarah was a rebel, with or without a cause. But her entire biographical narrative says otherwise. The rest of her life, including further boundary enlarging moments including being a mother of bi-racial children, living and working in the United States, confronted and confined by limitations placed on women in the professional world, not to mention frequent trips back to Ghana informs the reader of an author who is a deep thinker, a wise observer of life’s challenges.

Sarah’s observations of her life are honest and transparent. She is open about her painful experiences, yet without blaming others she admits she could have contributed to the difficulties and trauma she encountered. Given my own painful history with Christ-less religion, I am fascinated by the spiritual paths to light and enlightenment Sarah has walked, not the least of which is her reading of Richard Rohr, from whom I also have gained insight and understanding.

It is my purpose to entice and perhaps enthrall potential readers, rather than presenting a definitive summary of Sarah’s life – that adventure awaits the reader. But as I conclude I must quote part of her Epilogue, which she begins with a signature quote of one of my favorite theologian-philosophers, Soren Kierkegaard: Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.

Sarah notes: “In my old age, blessed with freedom from material need and in relatively good health of mind and body, I am left with many unanswered questions, many uncertainties about my place in the universe and the meaning of my life’s experiences” (page 347). She admits, again with honesty and transparency, “But I cannot say I have found a clear underlying thread to my life; I’m not sure it matters” (page 348).

Read Sarah’s memoir – her thoughts will surely inspire you to ask questions of your own odyssey – your own journey in life. “Worlds Apart” is available in paperback and a Kindle version on Amazon. An audio book will follow in the near future.