Tania Romanov hangs from the final limb of a family tree of generations of unintentional travelers—exiles, refugees, displaced people.
She grew up with stories of exile—stories of adventure. Perhaps that’s why, as an adult, she started living her own adventures—and hasn’t stopped since.
In India, she learned that to Indians the way she mourned her husband was far less personal than their custom of dropping cremated bodies into a river; in Japan, that her ancestors could find her in the oddest of circumstances. In Bhutan, she found family, and in Namibia she learned to ease her fears of being trapped in her own past.
In Never a Stranger, Tania shares those experiences and more, unforgettable stories of travel, connection, and self-discovery.
Tania Romanov travels with an open heart, a perceptive eye, and profound compassion. Her stories will help orient you on your own traveler's path.
Every now and then I come across a book that I wish everyone would read. Never a Stranger...by Tania Romanov is one of those. A blend of award-winning travel stories, memoir, and photographs, it unfolds a theme of the discovery of ourselves and the world around us in an utterly readable, relatable, and emotionally engaging style... Interlaced with poignancy and humor, (the stories) educate and inspire, enlighten and entertain, satisfy our urge for adventure, and leave us feeling hopeful and reassured.
All across the globe, Tania Romanov searches for what is hidden--back through centuries, across generations, behind facades, in deserts, on mountains, through roadblocks and around obstacles. What she finds sparkles with significance for her ... and, through her evocative writing, for us.
Born of refugees who were forced from their home countries, Tania Romanov has learned to claim a place in the world--not by setting down physical roots, but by setting roots in the hearts of the people she meets in her travels. This book is a tribute to the home we can find in each other.
The qualities all these stories share are relentless curiosity, empathy for various people Romanov interacts with, and the humility of a visitor who understands she has much to learn from the people she meets. And meet them she does: in plazas, on staircases, in the street, in thatched huts, and along crowded rivers. Unsatisfied to pass through such landscapes as a quiet observer, she actively seeks encounters with a multitude of people, probing in a variety of ways to understand who they are and why they are. Showing she's done her homework, she references literature, history, sacred tradition, and the simple and everyday. In so doing, she illustrates how very similar we all are even when we appear to be different. This is travel writing at its best, writer and reader exploring together, side by side.
I could hardly have been more excited when I saw that my three books had reached #1, #2, and #3 in Amazon’s Bosnia, Croatia, Herzegovina category! This is the second time my latest collection, Never a Stranger, has made it to the top! Many thanks to all of you who have supported my books!
Delighted that my latest collection, Never a Stranger, made it to number one in its Amazon category!
Excited for stories from my latest book, Never a Stranger, to be recognized six times in this year's Solas Awards, including one gold and three silver awards!
HCA will host a special book reading by published author, Tania Romanov on Saturday, February 22, 2pm at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts. The book reading is centered around Romanov’s newly released travel stories, titled Never a Stranger.
In Never a Stranger, Tania Romanov gives us personal stories of travel and adventure which introduced her to unforgettable places and people. In recounting them, she shares with us not only the uniqueness of the settings and cultures that she encountered but also her personal insight, philosophy, and reflection. Romanov travels light in life, building on her own family’s roots of exile and flight until they found a refuge in the United States. Not constrained by her own European culture and American views of what world travel should entail in comfort and itinerary, she bypasses the tourist traps and souvenir shops of the world to experience the real lives of real people. A wonderful read from an exceptionally talented author and photographer. Highly recommended.Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' FavoriteEvery now and then I come across a book that I wish everyone would read. Never a Stranger: From her past in Croatia and Russia, to finding a son in Bhutan, to befriending women in Africa, one woman’s stories of travel, connection, and self-discovery by Tania Romanov is one of those. A blend of award-winning travel stories, memoir, and photographs, it unfolds a theme of the discovery of ourselves and the world around us in an utterly readable, relatable, and emotionally engaging style. In a world of accented polarities, it’s a refreshing and touching journey into remote places and unexpected experiences that unite us as one humanity. The stories cross several continents and cultures. Interlaced with poignancy and humor, they educate and inspire, enlighten and entertain, satisfy our urge for adventure, and leave us feeling hopeful and reassured.
Many thanks to Eva Auchincloss and everyone who attended a wonderful evening, where I presented my new book, Never a Stranger. Eva helped Title 9 become a reality when she ran the Women’s Sports Foundation. Funds from the book sales are contributed to the Sonoma Land Trust, a wonderful organization which supports our communities.
Please join us on Monday, December 9th, for a heartwarming evening of adventure and connection with Bay Area travel writer and photographer Tania Romanov as she introduces her latest book, Never a Stranger.
Monday, December 9, 2019 || 6pm Book Passage || Ferry Building, San Francisco ||www.bookpassage.com
