Talking to Strangers and Other Chance Encounters

About the Book

“Don’t talk to strangers,” mothers warn. But mothers are not always right as proved by Gerry Gewirtz Friedman in this charming memoir of a life enriched by talking everywhere and to everyone, friends and strangers alike, on planes, in restaurants, and while standing on line at the movies. This delightful book is filled with personal anecdotes that illustrate how the author added Tim and interest to her life by chaffing up everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt and Fanny Brice, to Cary Grant and President Jimmy Carter. As she traveled the world, Gerry Gewirtz Friedman introduced herself to strangers and talked. She advises her readers to do the same and shows them how.

About the Author

Daughter of a well-known New York City School Superintendent, wife of a prominent surgeon, mother of two power-house finance and entertainment executives, and sister of an airlines legal V.P. who counseled U.S. presidents, Gerry Gewirtz Friedman, who never learned to cook, carved out an award-winning career in America’s jewelry industry. As a reporter, editor, columnist, publisher and founding president of the Women’s Jewelry Association, she traveled throughout the jewelry world, from fairs in Basle, Switzerland to the diamond mines of South Africa, earning membership in the Jewelry Hall of Fame. She makes her home high above Manhattan’s East River overlooking a city she has loved for more than 80 years, a city where her volunteer and charitable work has earned her many honors and testimonials for her distinguished community service.