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Press Release for
Free Gondola Ride
By Kathleen Ann Gonzalez
After researching these most iconic of men, the author spent a summer with Venice's gondoliers in order to discover more about their unique occupation, vessels, and lifestyles. Instead of uncovering only objective facts, Gonzalez found herself drawn in to the lives of her subjects: being befriended, getting to know their families, learning their language, hearing the gossip, and being offered "free gondola rides" countless times - some of which carried a price tag not in the usual currency. What results is a story of these men and their boats woven through the tale of the midnight skinny dipping to living a romantic adventure.
Free Gondola Ride is a first person narrative. The book is 235 pages, including a preface, poems, a section on the history of the gondola, a glossary of Italian words, and a bibliography. Thirty photos of the gondoliers and their city are interspersed within the text. The cover art features a glossy, full-color painting called "Rowing Lessons" by Venetian painter and gondolier Dino DeZorzi. The back cover includes a summary and reviews by authors Clarence Robert Tower and Norma Howe. Fifty cents of every book sale is donated to Save Venice, Inc., an American organization committed to restoring Venice's architecture.
Free Gondola Ride is the only book in print in English focused on Venice's gondoliers. A selection from the book appeared on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News Travel section in 1998, and local readers then took that paper to Venice to find the featured gondolier. The book appeals to Venice travelers who want to find their gondoliers or those looking to experience their own new adventures.
Kathleen Ann Gonzalez is a full-time high school English teacher in San Jose, California. While at San Jose State University, she won three Phelan awards for personal and expository essays. Her short story "That Was Living" can be found in the anthology Latina: Women's Voices from the Borderlands, for which she did readings and signings in Bay Area bookstores upon its release from Simon and Schuster in 1995. Forthcoming is her story "Blueberry Stains" in an anthology entitled Powerful Classroom Stories from Accomplished Teachers, due out in December 2003 from Corwin Press. She has also published numerous articles in travel magazines, teaching journals, and local newspapers. This is her first full-length book.
ISBN: 0-615-12391-0
Release date: June 2003
Retail price: $15.00
Website/ordering information: www.freegondolaride.com freegondolaride@yahoo.com
Mailing address: Free Gondola Ride, PMB #468, 1177 Branham Lane, San Jose, CA 95118-3766
Currently available in eleven Bay Area bookstores and eight Venetian bookstores. See the website for a complete listing.