false 85622 3 When Rita Golden Gelman traveled to Mexico during a two-month separation from her husband, she hoped to satisfy an old craving for adventure and, in the process, rejuvenate herself and her marriage. Little did she know it was the beginning of a new life, not just as a divorcée, but as a nomad of the world. Since 1986, Gelman has had no permanent address and no possessions except those she can carry. She travels without a plan, guided by instinct, serendipitous opportunities, and a remarkable ability to connect with people. At first her family and friends accused her of running away, but Gelman knew she had embarked on a journey of self-discovery and a way of life that is inspiring and enviable. We know Gelman is not your typical middle-aged housewife from LA when, on that first trip to Mexico, she randomly picks a Zapotec village and decides to live there for a month, knowing nothing about the culture or the language. When she arrives, the villagers run away from her, terrified. By the time she leaves, there are hugs and tears. From there she travels to Guatemala and Nicaragua, Israel and the Galapagos Islands. But the heart of the book--and her 15-year journey--is Indonesia, where she lives for eight years. It is Bali that forever changes how she looks at the world, facilitated by her friendship with an aging prince. Tu Aji not only invites her to live with his family but decides that the education of Rita will be his final duty in life. Wherever she goes, Gelman has an uncanny ability to slip into other ways of life and become part of a community. And she is a person for whom doors open widely--her seatmate on the plane to Bali scrawls the prince's name on a piece of paper, she talks her way into a sojourn at Camp Leakey in Borneo where orangutans are studied, and an entire village in a remote part of Irian Jaya prays for the clouds to clear so her plane can land--and they do! Gelman's secret is her passion for people. That being the case, the book is short on descriptions of place, but long on the rarer inside view of the peoples and customs of those places. This in itself is treat enough, but Gelman's animated and intimate story comes with a kicker--it's never too late to fulfill those dreams. <I>--Lesley Reed</I> 2637573 28 5 2002 Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World total:1540|5:8|4:18|3:9|2:4|1:1| 1540 6037 2318 421 2 5 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Jan 27 06:13:17 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 30 18:42:36 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Tue Sep 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 19:33:50 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 16 22:08:11 -0700 2008 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 19 19:55:15 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 29 08:41:21 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 3 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 13 01:11:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 14:02:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 08 13:49:21 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 09:56:10 -0800 2008
I appreciate the relative bravery it takes to just get rid of everything and travel the world, but it's a lot easier if you're a writer like Rita Goldman. I might just be in a place where I'm looking for a more realistic take...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 10 09:56:58 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 09:57:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 21:43:45 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 21:48:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 13:42:26 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 13:47:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sat Jan 05 06:07:12 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 06:09:31 -0800 2008
After reading almost straight through this book - I - well - I was inspired. I am not sure if the writing its...more...]]> 3 0 true false Thu Jun 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 10:19:14 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 10:35:25 -0700 2009
I was appalled by this book. Maybe I missed something. Rita leaves her husband and her children to travel the world. And all she seems to learn is serenity. She brags about giv...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Feb 20 21:09:14 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 21 12:44:28 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 1 false false Sun Aug 24 18:57:02 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 24 18:58:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sun Jul 05 09:32:59 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 09:47:39 -0700 2009 the continents of the world and live with the people as if she is one of them.
To her telling of her story, she accomplishes that goal. I really loved this book
because she seems so able to blend into a for...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 08:14:16 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 07:42:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 10:51:06 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 09:04:52 -0800 2009 Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Israel, Galapagos Islands, Indonesia ( Bali, Yogjakarta, Borneo, Irian Jaya-the easternmost Indonesia) United States, Canada, Thailand.

The minute I read one page of this book, I was hooked!- I wanted to go on a...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 25 10:56:10 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 13:46:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Apr 16 13:27:18 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 15:04:01 -0700 2007 3 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 19 06:15:02 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 19 06:16:11 -0800 2007 3 0 false false Tue May 05 20:07:11 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 20:13:40 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 1 2 false false Tue Jul 10 10:19:25 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 29 14:06:06 -0700 2007