Transworld to publish Driving Miss Norma

Transworld is publishing the "life-affirming" true story of a 90-year-old widow who shunned chemotherapy and instead decided to hit the road on the adventure of a lifetime.

Transworld Publishers bought UK and Commonwealth rights from HarperCollins US to Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying ‘Yes’ to Living by son Tim Bauerschmidt and daughter-in-law Ramie Liddle. The deal was made through Catherine Barbosa-Ross, senior foreign rights manager at HarperCollins US.

Driving Miss Norma follows nonagenarian Norma Bauerschmidt on her road trip across the US, a journey she embarked on in a 36ft RV with her son Tim, his wife Ramie and their poodle, Ringo, after being diagnosed with cancer soon after the death of her husband of sixty-seven years. Transworld editorial director Andrea Henry called it "the most delightful carpe diem story, which we can all relate to". 

Bauerschmidt, from Michigan, had almost 500k followers on her Facebook page, Driving Miss Norma, where her family would post updates about her adventures. She died aged 91 earlier this month.

Henry added: "Sadly Miss Norma passed away just a couple of weeks ago but the choices she made in the last year of her life means her story lives on, touching people all around the world, challenging each of us to think about the way we live and the way we die. We’re delighted to be publishing Driving Miss Norma at Transworld."