Homesickness while at college is common, and it can feel lonely, isolating, and miserable. I remember crying and wishing I could go home for the first few weeks before getting adjusted to life at school. While books can’t fix homesickness, they can ease it somewhat, and help with the transition from home to school. Here are some books, both nonfiction and fiction, that I recommend for people missing home.
The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook by Dr. Jill Grimes and Illustrated by Nicole Grimes
College students, when dealing with illness, accidents, or anxiety for the first time when away from home, are often torn between wanting to solve it themselves and wanting their parents to fix it. It’s hard to know where to go. This book, written by a physician, has accurate, medical information to guide and reduce stress, offering solutions to dozens of problems — from not being able to sleep in dorms to handling food poisoning.
It can be hard to go to college alone, especially if you don’t know anyone else there. Anything can go wrong, from oversleeping to getting sick. It sucks not having a familiar support system to help you anymore. While it can’t take the place of a loved one, this book is full of advice and solutions to a myriad of problems, helping you feel more confident.
Bye Bye Homesickness by Marion Sonnenmoser
Everyone, from small children to adults, experiences homesickness. The older we get, the less it’s talked about, leading to us being unable to ease it and feel better. This book not only talks about homesickness, but also how to avoid it — or at least make it less overwhelming — through easy-to-read texts and exercises on how to cope.
Homesickness is one of the worst feelings, especially if you want to get out and spread your wings. It makes you think that it would’ve been better to stay home instead, where everything and everyone is familiar, instead of going somewhere completely different. Despite how it seems, there are ways of overcoming this feeling.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Illustrated by Anna Bond
Young Sara Crewe is alone for the first time in her life after her wealthy father took her from India to a girls’ boarding school in London. She does her best to acclimate and make friends, but when she learns she will never be able to see her father again, her life is forever changed. She falls from a princess to a pauper, and she trades education and luxuries for grueling work and a tiny attic room. She may, however, find that her persistent kindness and generosity are all that she needs.
Being alone in a new city or state is hard; being alone in a new country is even more challenging. Even if you know the language, there are many discomforts about being far from what you know. Like Sara, you may struggle and be lonely, wishing you could have your loved ones like how she wishes for her papa. But if she can do it, so can you.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Illustrated by Anna Bond
Anne Shirley, a lively young orphan, is sent to live with two lonely middle-aged siblings on a farm. However, they were expecting a boy, not a girl, so they could have help running their farm. She’s eventually allowed to stay for good, and Anne adapts quickly to her first home, bringing much cheer and excitement to the small town.
It can be both exhilarating and frightening to start fresh in a place you don’t know, with people you’ve never met. Everything is new, yours for the taking, and you can be whoever you want without worrying. Of course, it’s hard to leave home, but embracing new opportunities and getting involved can help ease the feeling.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Kiela isn’t a people person, so being a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium is perfect. She and her assistant, Caz, preserve magic until a revolution starts and the library is burned down. They escape, carrying spellbooks to Kiela’s childhood home on a remote island. To her dismay, a handsome but nosy neighbor insists on helping her adjust. What’s more, Kiela needs money, and the town’s bakery needs jam. So she uses a recipe book — and illegal magic — to help the town and herself. But magic can do more, and Kiela’s ready to risk opening the island’s first spellshop.
Having to restart in a new place when you when you desperately long for home is challenging. However, all you can do is make the best of it and try to find happiness, or at least contentedness. Like Kiela, maybe you don’t want to be around new people and situations so far from home, but you may find a new home.
Homesickness is an obstacle many of us face at some point, but it’s not impossible to overcome. Just take everything slowly, and you’ll be all right. Good luck!
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