Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Travels and Tribulations is a work of non-fiction in the memoir genre. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by Tyrel Nelson. The book follows the author during the worst of the pandemic after losing both his mother and his career. During this period of isolation and sadness, the author reflects on the people and events of his life that led him to where he is today. Reminiscing on painful and happy memories alike, the book shows the author's journey to re-evaluate where he stood in the new world in which he was now an orphan.

There’s a level of personal detail that some writers achieve when putting together their memoirs that astounds me as a reader. The willingness to be vulnerable, to reflect on the most painful parts of your life in order to dissect them with the reader in the hopes of finding meaning or even strength. Tyrel Nelson leaves nothing behind as he reviews the life he has led so far whether that be losses that continue to devastate to this day or specific moments during his travels that etched themselves into his soul for good or ill. Travels and Tribulations is an intimate discussion on the life of an ordinary person who has seen both joy and sorrow in abundance and simply wants to walk through the memories with you as they make sense of it all. A tribute to self-reflection and to the effect of loving and being loved in return, this is a beautiful memoir that I recommend to all.