Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

Author: Jim Nally
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 1444729853
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS has been the most talked-about show on TV and delivered ratings almost as enormous as the frothy, bejewelled frocks its subjects wear. This book offers a window into the secret and surprising world of Gypsies and Travellers in Britain today. From spectacular first communions, strict courtings and jaw-dropping weddings, this book covers all the extraordinary rite-of-passage events in a Gypsy's life and offers an insight into their fascinating world. All the favourite characters from the show are there - from Thelma the miracle dressmaker to Paddy, the champion bare-knuckle boxer. Warm, engrossing and funny, BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS lays bare an exotic unseen Britain that exists right on our doorstep.

Gypsy Bride

Author: Sam Skye Lee
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1446460320
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
'I felt like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and all the other fairy-tale princesses, and Pat was my Prince Charming.' Sam Skye Lee had often thought about getting married, but never imagined that her dress would be bright pink with flashing lights and weigh a staggering 20-stone. But then she didn't count on having a gypsy wedding... It's rare for a 'gorger', or non-traveller, to marry into the gypsy community. But after a shocking childhood tragedy, Sam found the comfort she needed from an unxpected source - Patrick and his family of travellers. Gypsy Bride is the heartwarming true story of how an ordinary girl finds herself discovering an extraordinary world. A place where 'grabbing' is a sign a boy fancies you, six-year-olds get spray tans, and christenings, weddings and funerals are jaw-droppingly flamboyant. This love story is more than boy meets girl. It's about a girl who falls in love with a whole race of people and their wonderful ways.

American Gypsy

Author: Oksana Marafioti
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0374104077
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 383

Book Description
Recounts the author's early experiences as a fifteen-year-old Gypsy emigrating with her family from the Soviet Union to the United States.

Gypsy Feminism

Author: Laura Corradi
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351403842
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 170

Book Description
Clumsy stereotypes of the Romani and Travellers communities abound, not only culturally in programmes such as Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, but also amongst educators, social workers, administrators and the medical profession. Gypsy cultures are invariably presented as ruled by tradition and machismo. Women are presented as helpless victims, especially when it comes to gendered forms of violence. The reality, however, is much more complicated. In Gypsy Feminism, Laura Corradi demonstrates how Romaphobia – racist and anti-Gypsy rhetoric and prejudice, pervading every level of society – has led to a situation where Romani communities face multiple discrimination. In this context, the empowerment of women and girls becomes still more difficult: until recently, for example, women have largely remained silent about domestic violence in order to protect their communities, which are already under attack. Examining feminist research and action within Romani communities, Corradi demonstrates the importance of an intersectional approach in order to make visible the combination of racism and sexism that Gypsy women face every day. This concise and authoritative book will appeal to scholars and students in the areas of Sociology, Cultural Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies and Anthropology, as well as Politics, Media Studies, Social Policy, and Social Work. It is also an invaluable resource for activists, community and social service workers, and policymakers.

The Gypsy Woman

Author: Jodie Matthews
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN: 1350150665
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
The exotic and dangerous stereotype of the Gypsy woman formed in nineteenth-century literature and visual culture remains alive today. These contemporary cliches about Gypsy culture - both negative and romanticised - have a long history. In The Gypsy Woman, Jodie Matthews analyses why the representation of female Gypsy figures in print, painting, television series such as Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and social media sites like Instagram matters so much. Some of these images have been so damaging that they require legal regulation, but Matthews claims that supposedly positive portrayals are just as detrimental by reiterating the same story about Gypsies that have been told since the nineteenth century. Her study makes this book a highly relevant resource for students, teachers and researchers working in literary, cultural, gender and Romani studies.

Hard Knocks & Soft Spots

Author: Paddy Doherty
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 144811781X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
'I fight hard and love strong. I'm a traveller.' Paddy Doherty loves his life as an Irish traveller, but as a child he felt like an outsider. He was different to his siblings. On the rare occasions he went to school, he was bullied for being a gypsy boy. And beyond the gates of the camp he found nothing but hostility. Slowly, Paddy's hurt turned into anger and by the age of 11 he had started out on an illustrious career in bare-knuckle fighting. This earned him a position as one of the most well-respected (and feared) men in the travelling community. Yet while he won countless contests in the ring, the real battles he faced were very much outside. In this deeply honest autobiography, he tells of how he has loved and lost five children; plummeted to seven stone while battling depression, drink and drugs. He describes how it feels to be shot point-blank in the head and the lengths he'll go to to protect his people, as well as life since My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and Big Brother. Told with all the warmth and humour he is famed for, Paddy's rich and colourful story is one that will stay with you for a long time to come.

I Met Lucky People

Author: Yaron Matras
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780241954706
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
For centuries Romani Gypsies have been seen either as romantic nomads, or as unwanted outsiders. Who are they, really? Linguist Yaron Matras, who has spent years working with the Roma, gives the first comprehensive account of their culture, language and history, shattering the myths that surround them. 'Absorbing . . . almost everything we imagine we know about Gypsies is wrong.' Margarette Driscoll, Sunday Times 'Fascinating, compassionate and knowledgeable . . . Yaron Matras is an authority.' Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard 'An ancient and rich culture, immaculately researched.' Peter Stanford, Observer 'Romani history is unseen and unrecognised. Matras synthesises what facts we have to create a visible, compelling record.' David Morley, Independent

Junk Gypsy

Author: Jolie Sikes
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501135694
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
New York Times bestseller In their first book, the Junk Gypsies—sisters and stars of the popular Texas-born brand and HGTV show—combine big dreams, stories of roadside treasures found, and down-home design projects inspired by epic makeovers for friends like Miranda Lambert, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Sadie Robertson. Amie and Jolie Sikes, the Thelma and Louise of the design world, are the Junk Gypsies: a family with an addiction to flea markets, wanderlust, and Americana inspired design. In their world, cowgirls are heroes, road trips last forever, and junk is treasured. Beginning with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of heart and soul, the sisters travelled the back roads of America like gypsies, collecting roadside trinkets and tattered treasures while meeting kindred spirits and lively characters along the way. With a mix of hippie, rock n’ roll, southern charm, and big dreams, these small-town Texas girls became restless wanderers and owners and operators of their dream business and bohemian brand, Junk Gypsy. Filled with stories from their unique journey as well as DIY projects and bohemian inspired designs, Junk Gypsy is a tribute to all the rowdy gypsies, crafty junkers, free-spirited romantics, and true-blue rebels who have ever dared to dream big.

Gypsy Girl

Author: Rosie Mckinley
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1444709321
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Book Description
A life lived on the road and a heart that will always belong there Imagine being born into a world where communities are constantly on the move, but freedom is not a birthright. Rosie grew up travelling all over England and Ireland in her family's caravan. She had an idyllic childhood roaming fields and meadows with her younger brothers and sisters - free from the trappings of modern life, but restricted by the expectations of her culture. When Rosie was 14, the family's happiness was shattered when her grandfather - who was loved and respected by the whole community - was killed in a tragic accident. Suddenly everything in Rosie's life unravelled and she was forced to abandon the traditional way of life she loved. Her family fell apart in grief and Rosie tried her best to take care of her younger siblings and hold the family together. Eventually though life at home became unbearable and Rosie met Stevie, a traveller boy who promised her a different kind of life. Sadly though, Stevie was battling his own demons and Rosie's journey to freedom had only just begun...

In the Shadow of the Olive Tree

Author: Orna O'Reilly
Publisher: Vanguard Press
ISBN: 9781800161306
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
Two strangers, both newly divorced women, are determined to start life afresh amongst the olive groves of Puglia in the South of Italy, as they both attempt to put their old lives behind them. Claudia has a seemingly perfect life: a successful novelist, a loving mother, beautiful and admired by all, but she's haunted by a decision she made. Her confidence is destroyed at the hands of another. Is she able to move on, put it behind her and find happiness once more? Janet is determined to make a new life for herself after her husband left her for a younger woman, and she yearns to live in an idyllic trullo under the Pugliese sun. As the paths of Claudia and Janet cross and their lives become entwined, one woman's dream is threatened by the past of the other when they discover it's not always easy to escape one's previous life. Sometimes it follows in unexpected ways.