Inspiring Memoir by Margie Smith Holt Debuts at #1 on Amazon Bestseller List
NOT ON ANY MAP: One Virgin Island, Two Catastrophic Hurricanes, and the True Meaning of Paradise is an adventure story, a love letter to the island of St. John, and a warning about climate change.
What is paradise?
That’s the central question in the humorous and heartbreaking NOT ON ANY MAP: One Virgin Island, Two Catastrophic Hurricanes, and the True Meaning of Paradise, the first book published under Get Me Rewrite’s new publishing imprint, re:Write Books. The reported memoir went on sale this week, debuting at #1 on Amazon‘s Caribbean, Sailing, and Philadelphia Travel bestseller lists.
About the Book
An Emmy-winning journalist from Philadelphia, Margie Smith Holt’s relationship with the tiny island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands started out like many non-ancestral islanders: She went down on a vacation seeking a break from deadlines, fell in love with the place and people, and decided to stay. She got a waitressing job at at a burger shack called Skinny Legs in Coral Bay, learned to sail, and eventually sailed across the Atlantic in a 30-foot boat with no engine and no bathroom, writing stories about some of those adventures for the St. John Sun Times newspaper.
In August 2017, Holt was back in the States, finishing up what she thought might be an entertaining and inspiring read. Then on September 6, Hurricane Irma hit, followed—two weeks later—by Hurricane Maria. Two back-to-back Category 5 storms.
“The whole story changed,” Holt said. “I had written a love letter to this beautiful place that changed the course of my life, and now I didn’t even know if it still existed. It was almost impossible to get news about the Virgin Islands. I needed to find out what happened.”
Holt spent the next year interviewing hurricane victims and chronicling the recovery on St. John, ultimately asking readers to consider the future—and even the meaning—of paradise in an era of global warming and climate change.
About the Artists
In addition to highlighting the stories of numerous local residents, the book features the work of three St. John artists, with a cover design by filmmaker and photographer William Stelzer, who is currently doing videography for Senior Singalong, airing on Virgin Islands Public Broadcasting Station WTJX; cover art by former St. John resident Billie Denise Wright, whose work has been exhibited at the Bajo el Sol Gallery in Cruz Bay; and Bryan McKinney, who teaches art in Coral Bay and whose murals are on display throughout the new Cinnamon Bay Campground in Virgin Islands National Park.
About the Author
Margie Smith Holt is an Emmy-winning broadcast journalist whose print work has appeared in the St. John Sun Times, the Tradewinds, Sail, Sailing, Classic Boat, All at Sea, Caribbean Compass, Cruising World, and elsewhere. For more information visit margiesmithholt.com.
How to Buy
NOT ON ANY MAP is now on sale wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Papaya Café & Bookstore in Cruz Bay on St. John. After publication, books will also be for sale at Connections East in Coral Bay with all profits benefitting the KATS sailing program.