My Books

Click on each book for more information and/or to purchase it.

After waiting four long years, twelve-year-old Britta finally departs with her family to join her father in America. Britta thrills at the prospect of seeing him in just a few weeks, but circumstances stretch their journey to months.

 Based on the true story of a family’s1904 emigration, Britta’s Journey relates a young girl’s experience as she travels across two seas to a new life. Britta remains hopeful in spite of her family’s many trials, through which she discovers inner strength and resourcefulness she never guessed she had.

 Historically accurate, Britta’s Journey is a rare venture into American emigration This book will bring history alive as it touches the hearts of young and old readers alike.

Istanbul teems with history, architecture, and culture. You’ll discover them for yourself as you follow these routes through the seldom-explored streets around Istanbul’s famous bazaars: The Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian spice Bazaar.

Edda Renker Weissenbacher has wandered the bazaar district for decades, amassing a wealth of knowledge about these fascinating back streets. Ann Marie Mershon’s photos enhance the two authors’ detailed descriptions of over 80 enchanting sites along these self-guided walks.

Follow one or all four—and become familiar with the city’s historical hans, mosques, and bazaars. Prepare to be beguiled by your excursion into ancient Constantinople.

Recently divorced, Ann Marie was free to pursue her lifelong dream of teaching overseas, landing in the unlikely destination of Istanbul. “You must only to love them” was a bit of ungrammatical wisdom from a young Turkish friend—advice for managing the exuberant young Turks. Over the course of seven years, Ann Marie explored Turkey from the inside out, awed by the splendor of its artifacts and majestic terrain as well as the grace and generosity of its people. Experience Ann Marie’s loneliness, determination, and growing affection for the Turks as she navigated their world. This memoir is part travelogue, part adventure, and part romance— a heartfelt account of Ann Marie’s adventures as she stepped away from her secure American life to be enlightened by a new perspective on the world.

Perhaps my friend Uygar’s advice can be applied to appreciating any cultures unfamiliar to us: “You must only to love them.”