Don’t Touch the Monk

Valda Boyd Ford’s stories of global faux pas, from “The Ground Beef Parable” to “How to Pee in Public,” will make you laugh, cry, and realize you can overcome any awkward situation, anywhere.

A self-proclaimed “daughter of the South,” Ford is an informal storyteller whom the reader will connect with on a personal level. She skillfully combines self-effacement with a “Can we talk?” attitude, and her tone ranges from that of a stand-up comedian describing her first experience with public urination to that of an experienced therapist as she recounts the death of her son and the harsh lessons it taught her.

Ford is a living library of cultural competency, and her extensive personal travels and wealth of experience crossing cultural boundaries enfuse her tales with the hilarity, the sadness, and the timelessness of truth.