Customer Reviews

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Gelman's book, "Tales of a Female Nomad," is a testament to the human spirit, courage, and to our basic need to connect with others. It is a very personal account of her life as she goes through a divorce and discovers her individual self, without her husband, and through her numerous adventures. She goes to many places: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Israel, Galapagos Islands, Indonesia, New Zealand, Canada, and Thailand. What surprises me about Gelman's style is her very personal approach. She reveals intimate details, especially about fears and insecurities, which made me I more and more drawn to her story. It is though she is inviting the reader to be a friend and to share her experiences. She travels unconventionally - without much of a plan and not just to capital cities. Her stories of the people she has met warms the heart and reveals a beautiful humanity that is shared among all cultures.

This book is wonderful for anyone, but I strongly recommend it to women all ages and walks of life. Shows how one can live their dream and take the road not taken.

I absolutely loved this book and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for travelling and the lessons one can learn about themselves from such experiences. Rita's travels and lifestyle change left me in complete awe and filled me with absolute admiration for the guts, courage, and trust that were required of her. This book will not only inspire the reader to embark on travels of his/her own, but will cause some much needed introspection into the routines that so many of us lead in our daily lives. This book serves as a shot in the arm to get out and experience life, others, and other places.

In the book, Rita allows the reader to vicariously experience her life with her. The reader cannot help but feel as if Rita Gelman is a good friend by the last page. And once the book is over it is hard to stop thinking about the incredible adventures and gutsy lady that comprise Rita Gelman.

Definitely read this book and check out some of her great children's books while you're at it. Rita is a true jewel and anyone who loves to read should be reading her books.

I look forward to future books and the book tour!

I bought this book on a Friday evening, gobbled it up except for two chapters, finished it first thing in the morning, and lent it out by that afternoon. I was very interested in the reading the reviews that gave lesser ratings to this book. There were comments on poor or simplistic writing style and insufficient narrative or description of people and places... how utterly fascinating.

We all look at the world through different filters; thus the details Rita chose to share were those that were meaningful to her. She spends quite a few pages describing the long endearing antics she went through to avoid eating alone in a restaurant when she first arrived in Mexico... while she compresses 8 or so years in Bali into a chapter or so. This is the journey of a woman who reinvents herself at 48--it is the story of courage, of connection in far away places, of incredible growth, of living "successfully" as a single person. It is about Nicaragua, Bali, the Galapagos etc only as it relates to her story, and since *her* story is the one I needed to hear (as a 31 year old single female), I was very satisfied, inspired and grateful for the sharing.

I (finally) finished this book, it dragged its little textual feet for me there at the end. I adore the idea of this book, this is a perfect example of the I-find-no-satisfaction-with-the-material-world scenario, and a brilliant execution of a solution. Though this sort of lifestyle certainly wouldn't work for many people, (reaching out of comfort zones, being open minded to both other cultures, along with "playing along" as it were: using your outsider status appropriately, not letting your will get in the way of people's set lives), I can certainly identify with the urge to have such freedom, live so humbly, learn so much.

That said, I was disappointed with the quality of the writing in this book. There were a few sentences here and there that made me happy, but often they would be used repetitively soon after; in general the style seemed tired and sloppy. I excepted better writing from a WRITER. (Be fair, she mainly does children's books, but still.) I found myself unable to come along with her when she went on her quasi-mystical moments, because they just weren't presented very effectively.

I wanted to like this book so badly. In the end I treat it as technical writing: a step by step account of glorious people and lives, the scents and colors, and let the intended format slip away as it does by itself anyway.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Rita Golden Gelman is one of the most amazing women one could ever hope to encounter. In a search for self and adventure, little does this gutsy housewife realize that what began as a two month separation from her husband would lead to a fifteen year journey in exotic places around the world. From a Zapotec village in Mexico to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Isreal, Galapagos Islands and eight years in Indonesia, Gelman does what most woman only dream of doing. What may seem to some like a betrayal to family and an escape from reality is, in essence, a story of unbelieveable determination, strength and pursuit of self.

Gelman possesses extraordinary interpersonal skills and others, even total strangers, are drawn to her like a magnet. She has an enormous passion for people, life and the unknown, and I found Gelman and her story to be one of the most inspiring, exhilarating and refreshing ones ever written. There are always sacrifices to be made in life. The universe has a way of balancing the give and take. For every door or chapter in life that we close, another opens; Gelman's life is no exception. Her journey and her life are a shining validation that nothing is beyond our dreams if we are prepared to make sacrifices, believe in our goals and in ourself, and have the commitment and courage to make our dreams a reality.

I highly recommend this powerful and captivating book, particularly to women since they will probably have a deeper understanding of where the author is truly coming from. It is what is commonly known as "the freedom to do your own thing, in your own time, in your own place." While being a wife/partner and/or mother are significant and fulfilling, I can tell you from my experience as a counsellor that many women, married and single, tend to lose their identity of self, or become an extension of someone's else's identity, if they limit themselves solely to those roles. Hopefully, the reader will find much enjoyment and inspiration in "The Tales of a Female Nomad." Good luck in your search for self, fulfillment and happiness!

As I read the book I felt like I had known Rita all of my life. While I couldn't wait to get to the next locale so I could learn about the culture and customs she was experiencing, I didn't want the book to end.

Rita Golden Gelman knows how to tell a story - to tell a story so that the next sentence, the next paragraph, the next page and the next chapter, are eagerly awaited. Her simple, friendly style is a breath of fresh air - I found the book to be a real treat and was sorry that it had to end. But I was immensely pleased to find her email address on the last page of the book so that I can actually tell her how great her travels sound!

If you're looking for a great way to experience some exotic locations in the world, from the eyes of a seasoned traveler, this is a great book. Rita's spirit, her optimism and her love of people really come through.

Three weeks after reading Female Nomad, Rita Golden Gelman won't let go of my hand. She grabbed it on the first page when she said that fifteen years ago she was looking for a new way to live. Her old way had been the standard American dream: a happy marriage, motherhood, a career as a best-selling author of children's books. But when her kids went off to college and the marriage began to disintegrate, she didn't take the usual route of trying to replace what she had lost. Instead, this middle-aged veteran of The Good Life sold everything she owned, packed her essentials in a backpack, and set off for places unknown. In the years since, her physical journey has taken her to developing countries from Guatamala to Bali, where she lives in the homes of natives. Like other vivid travelogues, the author focuses mainly upon interactions with people, not scenery. But her real forte is the ability to speak warmly and directly to the reader about her inner journey. She has traveled from a place in her soul where it was all but impossible to eat dinner alone in a restaurant to a place where she's completely at home at an elaborate Balinese cremation ceremony. She's the most vulnerable Odysseus you've ever met, but she's nobody's fool. She doesn't preen, and she doesn't preach. It's reassuring that she still can't stick to a diet or workout schedule, because that means the rest of us have no excuses. If Rita Golden Gelman can go out there and find a new way of being and living in middle age, so can we all.

Although it's commendable that the author took off in search of spiritual growth after living it up in LA, her bragging got on my nerves. The book started off well, but quickly bored me. I find it amusing that this woman who went out in search of better understanding of world cultures and to better herself, really didn't change as much as she thinks. She speaks of getting away from materialism and fakeness, but brags about her daughter working with celebrities. I didn't like her assumptions that all women are looking at her with envy, when she meets them and tells them what she is doing (college reunion). She is quick to judge, self-absorbed, and not as open-minded as she thinks.Her experiences could've been a lot deeper, but yet it really all just seems superficial and she takes more than she gives.

Rita Golden Gelman decides at age 48 to live her life in a completely different manner. She splits up with her husband, sells her house and possessions, and goes on the road - for 15 years. She lives up to her promise to herself to try life another way - by traveling to exotic places, and taking up residence in other people's homes, learning their languages and their customs, their recipes and their spiritual practices. She goes to Mexico, where she lives in a Zapotec village, then to Guatamala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Israel, the Galagapos Islands, Indonesia (Yogyaharta, Borneo, Bali, and Irian Jaya), Canada, New Zealand, and Thailand. Her most detailed accout is in Indonesia, as she spent most of her time there (specifically, Bali), and it was obviously the most meaningful and life-changing experience of all of them.

Rita's experiences are amazing - unlike most travelers, she really succeeds in adapting to her new environments, making friends easily and finding worthwhile projects where both she and the people she meet can benefit. She not only learns from the people she meets, but often embraces their beliefs and culture as if it were her own - thus, throughout her journey she undergoes a major character transformation.

Though I was entertained while reading her stories and could not help but admire her courage and devotion to her new way of life, I could not help but feel there was something lacking in her story. There were large and noticeable gaps, which interrupted the flow of the story - it was obvious that she had gone back and tried to recreate moments that she didn't entirely remember. Thus, some of the stories were not as fresh as they could have been. (She even acknowledges gaps at the end of the book). Unfortunately, at times it gives the book the feel of a summary more than the real thing. Also, I think her style of writing (lots of short sentences, over-explanation and repetition in areas, stating the obvious), might be the style of a writer who is stuck in between the role of children's author and adult author. Because of that, at times it was hard for me to get into the book.

However, if you can get past that and focus on the stories and countries themselves, this book is immensely educational. It is also worth mentioning that she lives in Nicaragua and visits El Salvador at a volatile time for both countries, so she gives a very unique perspective to the countries themselves and what the people there were experiencing. I think this book is also successful in that it will encourage other women to explore their own travel dreams that may have been buried away because of their lives at home they think they can't give up.

Another thing that gave this book more intrigue than other travel books of its kind is that Rita visits and lives in places that very few travelers go. A lot of these places are far off the tourist track - particularly third world countries where she really sees incredible poverty and malnutrition, political upheaval, displaced indigents, and spiritual myths and ceremonies. She sees it all. And Rita is not a tourist - she's a traveler.

I hope she continues to write about her experiences as they occur, so her next written account(s) will avoid the gaps.

It's definitely worth checking out!

Having been a foreign correspondent in the Galapagos and a guest in the home of Zapotec Indians in a village near Oaxaca, I hoped to find a mix of familiar and unfamiliar adventures in this book. Instead I found an amazingly lifeless and self-absorbed chronology by a tiresome person who gushes one moment about her amazing "spiritual growth" and the next about how her daughter works with celebrities. Rita Golden Gelman professes the ability to embrace many different cultures but isn't above a crude representation of a Thai man's pronunciation of the English R as an L. She holds a German tourist whom she disliked instantly (snap judgments are the rule in this book) up to ridicule for being unprepared for one journey but sees herself as virtually heroic for undertaking an expedition on which her own nearly proudly bad physical condition compels another traveler to lag behind the friends with whom she arrived. The author revels in her certainty that other women, all doubtless unfulfilled in their boring married lives, regard her with envy. And characters in the book come in two flavors: either they adore her, or there's something wrong with them. Moreover, glaring misspellings in at least English (expatriots) and Spanish (buenos tardes) abound, and the author's fascination with herself is exceeded only by her love of a spliced comma. But if she is an embarrassment to professional writers, she is even more a disappointment to readers who might expect better of a story that should not want for adventure but sadly lacks a compelling or sympathetic protagonist.