La Mariposa en la Pared

The everyday experiences of latino immigrants through the eyes of an outsider. Las vidas típicas de unos inmigrantes latinos a través de los ojos de una forastera.

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Location: Upstate NY, United States

"To me it’s always interesting when you get accepted somewhere you don’t really belong. It’s interesting when people open up and let you in their world." - Gilles Mingasson

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Delicious Stories of Connecting

Food has always been a universal tool for bringing people together. Shared meals have often been the bridge between me and those I seek to understand. The flavors transcend language, the ingredients speak of the land which their fathers still work, their mother's recipes adapted to a lonely new world open wide a window into their past where cooking was done by women, communally and over fire, instead of alone in electric griddles.




But the solitude disappears when these simple meals are shared. The feeling of being an outsider evaporates, and we become more like brothers and sisters.

I'm not the only one to have felt this sacred connection over a shared table. A few years ago, I added my voice to that of many others to create a collection of stories of love and food, traveling and connecting. The result: a book, complete with recipes, the proceeds of which will go to send slum kids in New Delhi, India, to vocational school, thanks to Rotary International.



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Scrumptious Summer Read That Celebrates Traveling, Connecting, and Eating Around the World

FEMALE NOMAD
AND FRIENDS

Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World
by Rita Golden Gelman

“Tales from around the world, which . . . affirm a sense of human decency, generosity, and community beyond the borders of language or political affiliation. . . . All feature an appealing sincerity.” —Kirkus Reviews


When Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman was published in 2001, it became an instant worldwide bestseller. The story of Gelman selling all of her possessions and becoming a nomad—traveling through many countries and homes around the world—captivated readers. Gelman insisted on putting her personal e-mail address in the last chapter of her book and was flooded with correspondence from readers worldwide who offered their guest rooms, couches, meals, and—most important—stories from their own nomadic adventures.

In her follow-up, FEMALE NOMAD AND FRIENDS: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World (A Three Rivers Press Original, June 1, 2010), Gelman includes many of her own further adventures, as well as essays by writers and readers celebrating the connections they’ve made around the world. The stories in this moving anthology include people taking risks, seeking adventure, stepping out of the box, and discovering that beneath the beautiful differences that make us unique there is a universal sameness that bonds us.

FEMALE NOMAD AND FRIENDS also pays homage to the wonders of cooking and eating around the world, and includes more than thirty travel-inspired, taste-tested, and author-approved recipes. Among these fabulous international dishes are 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!

All of the royalties from FEMALE NOMAD AND FRIENDS will be used to fund educational scholarships for kids from the slums of New Delhi.


About the Author
Rita Golden Gelman is the author of Tales of a Female Nomad and more than seventy children’s books, including More Spaghetti, I Say!, a staple in every first-grade classroom. As a nomad, Rita has no permanent address. She is currently involved in an initiative called Let’s Get Global, a project of U.S. Servas, Inc., a national movement designed to bring the gap year to the United States. Learn more at: Lets Get Global.

Female Nomad and Friends
By Rita Golden Gelman
A Three Rivers Press Original | On Sale: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-58801-2| $15.00 | 352 pages
www.crownpublishing.com
www.threeriverspress.com
www.ritagoldengelman.com