An updated and revised edition celebrating the sixteenth anniversary of this cult classic memoir! Once upon a time, a young girl walked into a world of wonder and delight. But that's not where this story starts. The young woman published a nationally recognized children's book and edited a star-filled collection of stories to benefit the tsunami relief effort. But that's not where this story ends. Meet Alethea Kontis, whose life is an adventure that tears through these pages like a hurricane of inspiration. Carrot-a-day cancer cures and Murphy as a guardian angel (yes, that Murphy, the guy with all those irritating laws) are just a part of the daily routine for the Incredible Whirlwind of Beauty and Dynamite, the force of nature masquerading in human form. Through essays, poetry, and commentary from family, friends, and famous authors alike, a world of Blood Oaths and road trips, broken hearts and mended cars, comes alive with the strength of one woman's conviction that the world is there to be befriended. You have now been introduced. Let your adventure begin.