Best Selling Books by Rita Golden Gelman

The true story of an ordinary woman living an extraordinary existence all over the world. “Gelman doesn’t just observe the cultures she visits, she participates in them, becoming emotionally involved in the people’s lives. This is an amazing travelogue.” —Booklist At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita Golden Gelman left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of travelling the world, connecting with people in cultures all over the globe. In 1986, Rita sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

In 1987, Rita, newly divorced, set out to live her dream. She sold all her possessions and became a nomad. She wrote a book about her ongoing journey and, in 2001, insisted on putting her personal e-mail address in the last chapter—against all advice. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision. She has met thousands of readers, stayed in their homes, and sat around kitchen tables sharing stories and food and laughter. In this essay collection, Gelman includes her own further adventures, as well as those of writers and readers telling tales of the shared humanity they experienced in their travels. The stories are funny and sad, poignant and tender, familiar and bizarre. They will make you laugh and cry and maybe even send you off on your own adventure. Also included are fabulous international recipes such as vegetarian dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chiles topped with a white cream sauce with walnuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds), and ho mok (an extraordinary fish-coconut custard from Thailand). Happy reading—and bon appétit, selamat makan, buen provecho!

Here is a doodler doodling. And here are her doodles. Here is a book starring twenty-one words, a blank piece of paper, and a train of thought. And you will be amazed. WOW!

A pet store owner has many strange animals to pick from, but the pet a young boy finally decides on is a big surprise.

Minnie gives advice to her friend on how to get his finger out of the bottle in which it is stuck.

Discusses what happens when the human body sustains various minor injuries and describes its reactions to them.

Minnie the monkey is too busy eating spaghetti--all day, in all ways--to play with her friend Freddie. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Strange experiences that real people have had.

A cumulative rhyme describes the choppy cheese, sloppy sausages, gloppy tomatoes, and floppy dough that are cooked into a pizza and enjoyed by dozens of mice.

Follows the activities and adventures of a koala bear from birth until two years of age when he leaves his mother to look for a mate.

A young girl tries to convince a grumpy cat to wear a variety of hats, including a walkie-talkie hat, a monkey hat, and a cowboy hat. First published 20 years ago, this story is featured in a different format with brand-new, full-color illustrations.

A lonely mole''s animal friends find his hole too dark and small for them, but in Ms. Mole he meets the perfect companion to share his life. Features rebuses throughout the text.

Two children help a man build a giant sandwich.

Millie the monkey wanted to fly.