About the author

31 global reviews  

5 star……………….85%

4 star …. 10% 

          A FEW READER REVIEWS From Amazon 

***** Move this compelling memoir to the top of your reading pile. Some people are good writers but they don’t have much of interest to say. Some people have had amazing travel experiences but don’t write them down. Joan Cabreza is that rarity- an excellent writer with a memory for details who had led an astounding, interesting life…an exciting page-turner- a rare feat in the memoir genre. – Valerie

***** Hard to put this book down. I must admit I’m not much of a reader. However, once I read the first few pages of this book, I was hooked…Joan proved that women were more than stay-at-home mothers….When you’re reading this book, it’s like you’re there…she is very detailed, and you just want to know more and more. Joan is very inspirational! - SJ

***** A life of purpose and adventure. I was truly enchanted by this fascinating life story…that the author travelled abroad since the 1960s really captivated my imagination and made me nostalgic for a world in which travel and living abroad was a bold undertaking and an exciting adventure [and it] came as a result of following her path as a scientist, mother, and true believer. I’m not religious, but I found her faith inspiring rather than dogmatic.  – L. Schiller

***** Must read. Her love of marine biology, especially the marine environment, and the fact that “… nevertheless she persisted” is a great adventure as well as an inspiration to the young, especially young girls, to go for what you want to do, and smack away the folks who say you just can’t do that. Even if you are not a diver, you are there with her seeing the magic of life under the sea. Oh, on the other hand, getting swept out to sea is better expressed from a book than doing it on your own! …I have recommended Searching to several friends and been thanked for it…and just given a copy to our granddaughter with every expectation that she will find it inspirational and one of the most enjoyable books… - George Hoskins

***** A story of an astonishing, harrowing, mystical journey from the woman who lived it. I usually read at night but I waited until morning to finish the last seven pages of this book. I didn’t want it to end…Searching is a book for our precarious times, written by a wise woman who has lived large. I highly recommend it - Ellis

***** Fascinating story hard to put down. Her story covers a lot of ground literally and figuratively, spanning eight decades…crossing continents west to east and back again. …Her memoirs will resonate with those who are looking to “connect the dots” in their lives, who are searching for deeper meaning, or who simply marvel at the beauty and diversity of Earth’s ecosystems and cultures. Filled with anecdotes and life lessons, this will appeal to anyone who enjoys armchair traveling to simpler times and disappearing places…a big book but an easy read. - DCMcG

***** Inspiring and relatable. I just finished reading this book and found it unexpectedly relatable. So much so that I had to remind myself that she was a whole generation older than me and that our youths were 30 years apart…And probably most surprising is her take on Filipino culture, which has been the most compelling and spot-on description of the things I, at once, am proud of and repulsed by. As a kid raised by parents intent on assimilation, I inadvertently learned to reject or hide from my [Filipino] culture. I highly recommend this book. Joan has a sparkling talent as a writer and storyteller. – Sue B

***** Riveting and suspense-filled! Joan masterfully weaves a story from her Midwest upbringing through the world adventures in the Costa Rican Jungle, then onto Hawaii, Asia, Philippians, and Guam. You will feel like you were there in each of the experiences. It's a real page-turner! I personally have only had three books I could not put down out of the1000 books I have read, [and] this is one of the three. Enjoy the read!! – Timothy R. Matts