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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
It was very interesting for me personally and I enjoyed it a lot but I would have loved more information on what the cultures she visited were really like. Most of it was described as I did this and it was so fascinating and then I did this and I learned this about the culture. I would have loved more details on what the culture itself was like. That said I still enjoyed this book very much.
Read for book club and got through the first part and wasn't hooked. The writing style didn't appeal to me. Some of the women in the club loved it though.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
I listened to this book in audio form as the result of following The StoryGraph’s Genre Reading Challenge 2023. One of the 10 prompts for books was a travel memoir, a type of book I don’t think I’ve ever read before.
I’ll be completely honest, I went into it feeling a bit uninterested. Hearing about white people going on holiday for years to “see the world” and become their version of “cultured” never really sat right with me. Anthropology has deep roots in colonialism and so it sometimes feels ignorant to engage in this without knowing about that.
There were parts of this book that did fit this reputation. There were multiple occasions of Rita Golden Gelman using terms that are very dated such as ‘retardation’, ‘deaf and dumb’. I thought this book would have been published in the 80s or 90s but as it turns out it was originally published in 2001, but the audiobook version I 2014. I think they probably should have re-edited it whilst recording it but who am I to say.
I was also worried this book would be a bit ‘eat, pray love’-y, and I guess you could say this was Eat, Pray, Love before it’s time (that book came out in 2006). Rita became a nomad after her marriage broke down and her children left home, a time when a lot of women fall into pits of loneliness and despair as their husbands grow distant and they no longer have children to look after. So actually I found this book to be a little dare I say empowering? Although maybe it’s voyeuristic and inappropriate. Still undecided.
One concept she describes that I liked was the idea of a favour bank; the idea that in the world everyone has a shared ‘bank’ account. When you do someone a favour, you are making a deposit and that person accepting the favour is making a withdrawal. It means that in future, if you need help you should not be afraid to ask for help, because you’re giving someone an opportunity to make a deposit into the favour bank that they can withdraw at a later date.
I would highly recommend this book if you are afflicted with wanderlust and want to travel in what Gelman calls a ‘genuine’ way, i.e., not visiting touristy spots but living among locals.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
There are lessons to be learned about trust in here, as well as a strong sense of community and how to become a part of a community with humility and a longing to learn and willingness to be taught. This book is easy to read and understand and the depth of kinship in different cultures and languages is experienced with simplicity in Gelman’s eyes. She does not skimp on the terrible effects of war and starvation, either, writing about death with the same compassion she did for life. She instilled a deep want inside of me to travel the world and explore the rich complexities of life in diffferent places and circumstances.
Overall 1.5 stars.
It's a memoir, so I think if I had read it instead of listened to it, I probably would not have finished as I expected to get more info on the places she visited. She strikes me as a bit selfish, she inserts herself into these cultures, forcing others to work around her, and while I understand that is what she wants to do, how do these women in the places she's going really feel about that? They're the ones who end up taking care of her, protecting her from their men, teaching her the culture. They're never asked on if she can stay or not.
I also get a, "Oh if I can do this, you can do this" kind of attitude. Rita, no, be realistic. You are a published and continuously being published author, who doesn't have to help the kids because her ex-husband can provide them any monetary support as they become young adults. At no point does Rita ever think, I am lucky, and while yes I have saved hard, and I do actively try, a lot of things are just lining up. It's about the people that you know, and I don't think Rita ever recognizes and acknowldges that.
Also, you are traveling in the 1980-early 2000s. I'd love to know how easy it is for her to travel in a post 9/11 world.
It's a memoir, so I think if I had read it instead of listened to it, I probably would not have finished as I expected to get more info on the places she visited. She strikes me as a bit selfish, she inserts herself into these cultures, forcing others to work around her, and while I understand that is what she wants to do, how do these women in the places she's going really feel about that? They're the ones who end up taking care of her, protecting her from their men, teaching her the culture. They're never asked on if she can stay or not.
I also get a, "Oh if I can do this, you can do this" kind of attitude. Rita, no, be realistic. You are a published and continuously being published author, who doesn't have to help the kids because her ex-husband can provide them any monetary support as they become young adults. At no point does Rita ever think, I am lucky, and while yes I have saved hard, and I do actively try, a lot of things are just lining up. It's about the people that you know, and I don't think Rita ever recognizes and acknowldges that.
Also, you are traveling in the 1980-early 2000s. I'd love to know how easy it is for her to travel in a post 9/11 world.
I loved this book. I liked the author's view and style of writing. By the time I finished the book, I wished that I had been living her life, and in some ways felt I had. I thik anyone with a interest in traveling or seeing life outside of the US would enjoy this book.
i read most of this. mainly bought the book bc i hear the author speak and she seems like an interesting person...however the book just didnt really hold my attention....a little more stereotypical than groundbreaking for me.
3.75. For the majority of this book, I really enjoyed the tales of Rita living in far-flung places and actually LIVING with the communities, but it was exhaustive in a few parts and that might have been contributed to the fact that it takes longer to get through a book when you are listening to it. But truly, I enjoyed it on audio because it was read by the author and that is always better! Still recommend it for the stories alone - I love the idea of being a nomad, but don't think I have the guts to. Maybe someday when I'm retired.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Inspiring and fascinating tales from the road.