The Map Seeker
About | Selected Passages | Reviews | Book Cover
Weaving life reflections with her extraordinary journey, Leah Kotkes spins a tale of herself as a highly-motivated young lady in conflict with her own choices. 
Personal salvation presents itself one day in the form of an American visitor who invited her into the world that would alter her life forever. At the age of twenty-eight, after traveling the globe to satiate the hunger in her soul, the author has an encounter that refocused her spiritual quest.
In this deeply personal memoir, Leah
Kotkes introduces us to two worlds: the Rolls Royce world of her London childhood and the uniquely spiritual and inspiring world of her Jerusalem adulthood. All of her story is her own; parts of her story are every
woman’s.
The Map Seeker: One Woman’s Quest vividly portrays a spectrum of true-life challenges and difficulties—yet the author’s ability to transform them into spiritual, tangible opportunities makes her story a rich portrayal of discovery.
This book is written for anyone who has ever asked: Why am I here? Can this be it? How can I find spiritual balance in this chaotic world? It is written for every woman in search of her individual truth.
For chapter excerpts, paper manuscript or review copy of the book contact: Heather Dean (516) 394 5517, heather@leahkotkes.com or Israel Bookshop Publications at (732) 901-3009 or info@israelbookshoppublications.com
About | Selected Passages | Reviews | Book Cover
Selected Passages The Map Seeker: One Woman’s Quest by Leah Kotkes
Part One: Beyond Hendon
“As a child I yearned for a world more appropriate for me beyond our family home in Hendon, London; I prayed for a place where I belonged, where I would be appreciated, where I could be me. I hoped this with all my young heart, but I had no idea where it was or how I would get there.”
“Now I had no choice, I was a free bird with no excuses. I had to do what I should have done earlier in my life, it was time to seek the truth and turn over every stone to find the most suitable way to live in the most suitable place in the world.”
“The luxury of hours of quiet motion affords the traveler the privilege of exploring inner worlds through thinking, journal writing and reading.
Part Two: The Map Seeker
“I became a seeker without a map or any clue as to how to find what I was looking for.”
“I had left London euphoric; I was exhilarated at the prospect of new adventures, relationships and possibilities but after six weeks of Jewish study classes at Neve Seminary in Jerusalem I woke up one morning and recognized I was out of the loop of my other life – back in London – and I felt odd, like I had entered a personal wilderness with nothing dynamic to crowd my view, dominate my mind or distract me. With this realization came the enormity of my decision; I was aware of being alone with myself and my choice for the first time and it was a peculiar, curious new feeling.”
“I had gotten myself into the marriage–G-d pulled me out–my friends were there to pick up the pieces with me; maybe I would make it, maybe I would get over this, maybe I would get married again and have a normal life, like my friends–maybe I wouldn’t. There are no guarantees after a divorce.”
Part Three: Jerusalem
“I force myself to be happy, to be positive. I work hard at being successful, I have to be victorious, there is only me now and I must make something of myself but one day the mask tumbles down.”
“I travel back to the Rolls’ house in a black taxi; it is evening, it is raining. In a few hours I will return to the airport. I lay my head on the window and look onto the cold, dark London night. I feel utterly alone in the world; the feeling is so awful I start sobbing, I cannot control myself. I hear a bell tinkle. I look up. Hanging on the driver’s mirror is a hand-embroidered triangle with three words stitched just for me; GOD LOVES YOU.”
“Throughout the early years of my marriage, when everything was so fresh and exciting, I made a real effort to safeguard my memories with stories and photographs. One day I know I will cherish these mementos; many of them have inspired some of my most favorite published stories, many of them have helped me remember how priceless the moment was.”
“When my seven-year-old son asked me what is the most important thing in life? I answered: a relationship with G-d. I feel when you have a relationship with G-d, you have everything.”
About | Selected Passages | Reviews | Book Cover
In Praise of The Map Seeker: One Woman’s Quest by Leah Kotkes
I personally asked Mrs. Kotkes to pen her journey to authentic Judaism into a published book and with my blessings she has completed it. As in all her writings, Mrs. Kotkes has succeeded in capturing the essence of faith with this book. The Map Seeker has a most relevant message in today’s times when so many are in need of a true tale of perseverance and vision in order for them to follow G-d’s path and to know Him. It is my hope and prayer that from between the pages of this book thousands of people will come closer to G-d and His Torah.
Harav Chaim P. Scheinberg shlit”a, Rosh Hayeshivah Torah Ore
Some people live according to an erroneous ideology, but many more people have no ideology at all, and go through the motions of life unmotivated by an ultimate purpose. In The Map Seeker, Leah Kotkes relates her personal journey, finding her way to the meaningfulness of Torah living. Mrs. Kotkes shares with us the experiences that led her to the discovery of the beauty of a Torah life.
Rabbi Abraham Twerski M.D. Psychologist, noted writer and lecturer
Brilliantly titled, The Map Seeker is a literary feast for mind and soul. Leah Kotkes, a seasoned writer, describes an astonishing journey toward a life of truth founded upon authentic Judaism in a way that will inspire readers to find and create their own maps toward G-d. More than other memoirs about a return to observance, this work shimmers with vivid details and powerfully evoked personages of great religious conviction. To her credit, Leah Kotkes has not spared the reader the pain or the detours that mark the inner travels of the map seeker. Here we find hard-earned wisdom powerfully conveyed.
Professor Vera Schwarcz, Director of the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University, CT, is the author of the prize-winning study Bridge Across Broken Time: Chinese and Jewish Cultural Memory
That Leah Kotkes wrote “The Map Seeker,” the riveting story of her personal quest for fulfillment, is not surprising, since it is through writing that she has been sharing her inner self with other women as a published feature writer and author. What amazes me is her courage in not hiding behind a pen-name, but rather connecting to her readers in a most honest, open manner, “from the heart — to the heart,” a formula guaranteed to touch hearts and change lives.
Sarah Birnhack, Brooklyn, New York
Leah Kotkes’s deeply-felt memoir is the story of one woman’s courageous decisions to make pivotal changes in her inner and outer life. Her gripping account takes the reader along through her aspirations, frustrations, and ultimately finding her true place. The author’s sincerity and passion to live a life of truth is bound to move any reader.
Sara Yoheved Rigler, author of “Holy Woman”
Leah Kotkes is a survivor of many life ordeals. She bravely and exquisitely writes about how she overcame each one in The Map Seeker: One Woman’s Quest. Readers will notice how, at every life stage, Leah yearns to discover new worlds. Yet her most fantastic journey is within the world of her own consciousness. She lets us in on her thoughts, dreams and even what actions she is willing to take to achieve her soul’s truest desires. This memoir is a must read for every career girl — past and present.
Heather Dean Haas, Journalist and author of upcoming memoir, “For the Love of G-d: My Extraordinary Career as a Celebrity Interviewer & Why I Left It”
I read The Map Seeker; I was deeply moved. I followed Leah Kotkes every where; her voice took me gracefully along her path through life. Her book is truly a journey of the soul; I thank her for letting me read it. The book is a most precious one.
Nechama Bornstein, reader, originally from Copenhagen, now living in Jerusalem
Leah Kotkes’s memoir is about a woman’s journey towards the truth and the claim that she makes on her spiritual heritage. Leah takes us scene by scene through the trials that forced her to forge a new identity and helped her begin to fulfill her potential.
Leah’s honesty with herself and her readers compels us to see beyond her words and glean from her experiences. This helps to set each one of us on the path of her own search for truth.
Rhona Lewis, freelance writer, originally from Kenya, now living in Israel
