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Rita Welty Bourke

Goodreads Author

Born

Fairfield, PA, The United States

Website

https://ritaweltybourke.com/

Genre

Fiction

Member Since

May 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ritaweltybourke

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Rita Welty Bourke is the author of Islomanes of Cumberland Island and Kylie’s Ark: The Making of a Veterinarian, a Kirkus’ Best Indie Book of the Year Selection. She has published over forty works of fiction and non-fiction in literary magazines including The North American Review, Cimarron Review, Louisiana Literature, Shenandoah, Witness, and the Black Warrior Review. Learn more at www.ritaweltybourke.com. ...more

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Rita Welty Bourke’s books

Average rating: 4.22 · 87 ratings · 35 reviews · 5 distinct works • Similar authors

	Kylie's Ark: The Making of a Veterinarian really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 46 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Islomanes of Cumberland Island 4.48 avg rating — 29 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Stone from the River Rhine 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Painted Bride Quarterly: Print Annual 1 by Painted Bride Quarterly, Marion Wrenn (Editor), Regie Cabico (Contributor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2000	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Rita Welty Bourke's Blog

Hot Chicken

Hot Chicken, invented by Thornton Prince in the 1930s, is the mostly-true story of how Nashville’s infamous “Hot Chicken” came to be.

The restaurant Thornton opened, Thornton’s BBQ Chicken Shack, is still open today. His signature dish, or imitations thereof, can be found on restaurant menus across the nation.

Read the full story in WELL READ Magazine here »

Rita is Currently Reading

Rita Welty Bourke is currently reading

The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution

by Andrew M. Wehrman

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Feb 11, 2026 05:45PM

Rita Welty Bourke is currently reading

The Remembered Soldier

by Anjet Daanje (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 06, 2026 02:52AM

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The Stone Diaries

by Carol Shields

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Aug 21, 2025 06:06PM

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Rita’s Recent Updates

Rita Welty Bourke joined the group Historical Fictionistas
Aug 13, 2026 11:45AM · like
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book it was amazing One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There’s something terribly wrong when a reporter from a British television network reports that, at an Israeli checkpoint, “Accidentally, a stray bullet found its way into the van ahead, and killed a three-or-four-year old young lady.” A stray bullet? ...more
Aug 09, 2026 09:38AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book really liked it Isola by Allegra Goodman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval, a French noblewoman who lived in 16th-century France, is orphaned when she was an infant. Her guardian, the man on whom she must depend for her livelihood, Jean-François de Roberval, not only robs her of her inher ...more
Aug 09, 2026 06:14AM · 1 like · like · see review
Rita Welty Bourke liked Nathan's review of A Stone from the River Rhine: "This book is a love letter to family history, piecing together the plausibilities of the past out of what was left behind. As when only the most privileged gets recorded, and so much gets lost to time, the stories we craft about our ancestors through" Read more of this review »
Jul 31, 2026 06:11AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Stone from the River Rhine by Rita Welty Bourke. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Stone from the River Rhine by Rita Welty Bourke <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Welty Bourke liked Nancy Louise Bert's review of A Stone from the River Rhine: "Intriguing. Historically interesting while reminding me of my own heritage. Very well written. I recommend it to all whose ancestors came here from Europe."
Jul 20, 2026 05:44AM · see review
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book really liked it The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Santiago, a shepherd boy from Andalusia, has a recurring dream of finding treasure at the Pyramids. When the dream is echoed by a gypsy woman and a king, he decides to sell his sheep and set out for Egypt. “Follow your heart, and you will achieve wh ...more
Jul 10, 2026 05:39PM · like · see review
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book really liked it A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappé	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
“In the mid 1920s, the Zionist movement shifted from seeking a homeland where Jews would be safe… to colonizing Palestine….” To achieve this, they understood they must dispossess the indigenous population who had lived in Palestine for generations. ...more
Jun 22, 2026 09:29AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappé. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappé <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book really liked it The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Santiago, a shepherd boy from Andalusia, has a recurring dream of finding treasure at the Pyramids. When the dream is echoed by a gypsy woman and a king, he decides to sell his sheep and set out for Egypt. “Follow your heart, and you will achieve wh ...more
Jun 22, 2026 09:15AM · like · see review
Rita Welty Bourke rated a book it was amazing Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I knew I would love this book when, in the first paragraph, I read this line: “Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot.” I had to stop. “Beetle life underfoot.” The author was about to take me to a place filled with life forms I had give ...more
Jun 22, 2026 09:12AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">