Stow away with international award-winning author Connie Spenuzza, MSEd, as she chronicles a dreamer and a pragmatist’s soulful journey around the world. Married in 1979, Connie and Peter shared wanderlust and immense curiosity, a determination to chart the course of their own lives, and the motivation to prove the naysayers and gatekeepers wrong. Follow the Spenuzza family, armed with genealogical facts and family legends, as they begin their quixotic search for a specific ancestor, the scribe aboard the famed Pinta in 1492. Experience the ambrosial scent of melted chocolate wafting from a tiny confectionary in the Basque country of Spain and discover the magic of travel serendipity that led Spenuzza and her family on a quest across oceans and time—from the modern Wonders of the World back to those of antiquity. Spenuzza will take you on an exhilarating fifty-year odyssey across 125 countries, where she saw her youthful exuberance mature into a quest for the spiritual depths of the inner world. With the finesse of an eccentric goldsmith, Spenuzza solders her experiences with a suspicious shaman from Chichen Itza, Mexico, to the Andean Earth Mother of Machu Picchu, and links them to the engravings of the sixteenth-century German artist Albrecht Dürer. Decade after decade, follow their gold thread as it extends from Byblos of antiquity to the mosque of the booksellers in Marrakesh to the stone apsaras of Angkor Wat. Bask in the radiant glow of wanderlust serendipity that the Spenuzzas have captured in the bottle of their hearts.
About the Author: Connie Spenuzza
Connie Spenuzza, MSEd, received First Place from the International Latino Book Awards for her novels Lucia Zarate (2017), Missing in Macchu (2013), and Traces of Bliss (2012). The Association of American Publishers and the Las Comadres International organization selected her novels to the National Latino Book Club. In 2017, Foreword Reviews selected Lucia Zarate as and Indie Book Finalist, Parisian Promises (2014) was the runner-up for the Paris Book Award, and Gathering the Indigo Maidens (2011) was a finalist for the Mariposa Award. Her children's bilingual fables: Olinguito Speaks Up, Lalo Loves and Help, and Howl of the Mission Owl have received numerous awards. Her pen name for the works cited above is Cecilia Velastegui.
QUOTES: "Part memoir, part travelogue, and part genealogical study, this book is joyously refreshing. It is poetry in motion. U.S. Review of Books "A fascination account of travels across the globe, Jubilant Journeys is inspiring- both in its appreciation for other cultures and because of Spenuzza's hunger to learn more." Foreword Review- Four Stars "A travel memoir unusually rich in imagery, history, and spirituality." Kirkus Reviews // REVIEWS: Jubilant Journeys is a travelogue memoir spanning decades, detailing the travel adventures of Connie and Peter Spenuzza. The stories are not strictly chronological. Rather, they follow their own delightful meandering path through the narrative of the chapter. Many of the tales revolve around genealogical research into Connie's family and ancestors. In searching relentlessly for information about Ojer Velastegui over the many years, the Spenuzza family connected threads from past to present, and into the future, and fostered their own children's curiosity. I really liked the Italian quote that comes right before reaching Chapter Six: "Mesma faccia, mesma razza," meaning, "Same face, same race." I take a different personal view of the phrase. Instead of similar features suggesting a relationship, I see it as a nice reminder that we are all human. No matter the culture, creed, or color of skin, we all share more in common than we have true differences because we are all of the same species. I love the quote from Peter that followed not far behind this one in the chapter: "We’re Californian. We have all the people in the world in our state--and we love it that way." Being Californian myself, I agree! I love the author’s description of place and her ability to evoke the certain kind of nostalgia tied to history. I so grok her "stone whispering." Ancient places, even historical places, speak to the archaeologist in me, which often inspires my poetry. I enjoyed reading about her cataloging of exotic sensory experiences that are filed away for future use in novel writing. Part of their travels were for research in writing historical novels. I've reviewed one previous book by the author. Now I want to check out the others! Recommended for those with the travel bug, an interest in travel memoir, or just plain good story-weaving! Reviewed by J. Aislynn d'Merricksson SAN FRANCISCO REVIEW Jubilant Journeys Experience the Wanderlust Serendipity of a Fifty-Year Journey Across 125 Countries. Connie Spenuzza Libros Publishing (Jun 11, 2019) Hardcover $24.99 (240pp) 978-0-9987031-1-4 Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5 https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/jubilant-journeys/ Jubilant Journeys is an inspiring and fascinating account of travels across the globe. Connie Spenuzza’s enthralling memoir Jubilant Journeys features moments of wanderlust, spirituality, and learning. Spenuzza and her husband have been traveling across the globe for the last fifty years, driven by their mutual love of discovery. Spenuzza’s interest in travel began in her childhood, during a stop in Miami on her way to Los Angeles. Advised that “curiosity makes you a world traveler,” the eyes of the girl from Quito, Ecuador, opened wide. Later, her husband would share in her passion; together they’ve seen over a hundred countries, visiting shrines for unborn children in Kyoto, walking miles of the Great Wall of China, riding camels close to the pyramids of Giza, and crashing a wedding in Italy. These experiences culminate in Jubilant Journeys, a wonderful reflection on different cultures. An attitude of wonder and a desire to learn more run throughout the book. Spenuzza assumes an objective tone, refraining from personal judgments in her travel accounts and learning as she goes. In Aguas Calientes (close to Machu Picchu), an art historian finds her comments insulting; Spenuzza hears him and develops new respect for local attitudes. Spenuzza’s are relatable stories that elicit excitement with their infectious enthusiasm: “We have been enchanted by forests of otherworldly gifts.” The text is conversational and entertaining, and its tone is inviting and warm, but it is also informative. Facts arise during interesting conversations with locals, as when an Egyptologist engages the couple using quizzes; they each try to outdo the other, and bits of Egyptian history are revealed in the process. Beyond the magic of its wanderlust, there are moments of fun. Spenuzza pokes at her superstitions and fears, imagining the growls of jaguars in Palenque, an archaeological site in Mexico, and noting the suspicious-looking macaques at Angkor Wat. Experiences that felt scary to her still feel so in the text, and the book is all the more engaging for them. Spenuzza’s travel accounts are not arranged chronologically, and some portions of the book move more slowly than others, taking care to include more details; other trips take a faster route, summarizing experiences instead. The less detailed accounts feel rushed through; here, more information makes for more absorbing reading. A fascinating account of travels across the globe, Jubilant Journeys is inspiring— both in its appreciation for other cultures and because of Spenuzza’s hunger to learn more. Reviewed by Edith Wairimu December 20, 2018
