Autumn Leaves to Olive Trees

The experience of a Greek American woman who navigates the joys and difficulties of belonging to two different cultures and moving overseas as a child. Marianna Travlos, a Greek American, was happily living in Dedham, a town just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Her life revolved around her family, friends, school, Girl Scouts, and the Greek Orthodox Church. Time followed the comforting rhythm of a New England year – from apple and pumpkin picking in the autumn to summers watching fireworks on the banks of the Charles River. At ten years old she was uprooted from this beloved life when her family moved to Greece. She found leaving behind the land she loved devastating. Yet, wonderful new friendships and exciting experiences awaited her in Athens, if she would be open enough to notice and embrace them. This is a coming-of-age memoir divided among two worlds – capturing the charm of small-town America of the 1980s and the cosmopolitan community of Athens in the 1990s. It is also about the struggle to adapt and thrive in a new country while attempting to hold fast to one’s own identity. It is of places in moments in time, yet the emotions and lessons learned are universal and timeless.