The Rug Dealer

by Martha L. Thompson

A naive Midwestern exchange student immersed in the exotic sights, sounds, and smells of central Turkey falls under the spell of a charming Turkish Svengali and unwittingly becomes an international rug smuggler.

The Turk ends the relationship, shattering Martha's dreams, but remains a controlling and difficult influence as she strives to rebuild her life back in America. After committing herself to her studies at the Juilliard School, she believes she has broken her addiction to the Turk and his culture, but in a moment of weakness, returns to Turkey.

Witness the joys and struggles of her search for love.

Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2026

About the author

Martha Thompson spent the first twenty years of her professional life performing as an actor. As a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama, she worked with John Houseman’s Acting Company, Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons and many regional theaters. She also appeared in national commercials and sit-coms.

Martha's newest book, "The Rug Dealer," has been adapted into an award-winning solo show film, winner of Best Coming-of-Age Film at the San Francisco Women's Film Festival 2026.

When illness forced her to retire from acting, she found inspiration from her dog Gus to explore animal-related career options. This led her to the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, where she became the Coordinator of Volunteer Programs and was responsible for writing and editing a weekly newsletter, “ZOONOOZ.”

Her first book, "The Oxygen Mask Rule: How My Battle with Anorexia Taught Me to Survive," was a Finalist in the Women's Issues category of the 2012 International Book Awards and Honorable Mention in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2012 Hollywood Book Festival; and in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2012 New York Book Festival.

Martha’s second book, "Giving Paws: Having a Service Dog When Your Disability is Invisible," earned an Honorable Mention in the Dog category for the 2018 Animals, Animals, Animals Book Festival.

Martha writes and performs true stories for Iron Skirts Productions, an all-female storytelling company in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, two dogs and five quail.

Reviews

[Steven Stiefel]

Thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age memoir, where the author explores her youthful naivete intermingled with duplicities, both of which get her into challenging circumstances.
The theme of “acting” helps the author explain how she convinces herself to get involved in very sketchy and dangerous situations. The Turkish backdrop and the young artist’s struggle to succeed make this a compelling read.

[Lisa M.]

To me, opening "The Rug Dealer" was like turning my telescope on. I look into the dark depths of the Milky Way - a small bright star suddenly appearing. I name her Martha. And she flies off into an eccentric orbit, tweaking comets' tails, side swiping asteroids until her gravity field encounters Gus then Don. They create a stable triplet. Electrons flying space/time travel for little star Martha.

[Karen G]

The Rug Dealer is a feast for the senses, from the carefully chosen words that evoke the foods, attire, and landscapes of Turkey, to the inner landscapes of the author’s heart as she navigates her obsession with a handsome young rug dealer in a well-tailored, pinstriped suit. The reader becomes a voyeur to cringe-worthy first-love experiences that feel like a disaster waiting in the wings. This fast-paced memoir kept me engaged from start to finish and reminded me that I, too, was once young and foolish for love. The Rug Dealer will not disappoint; it takes you on an unforgettable journey to another time and place, seen through the eyes of a brilliant storyteller.

Karen Golden - Storyteller/Writer

[Colleen]

A fun read and intriguing

I have been awaiting the release of this book and it did not disappoint! Great descriptions of life in far flung places and of the people who live there.
The author and I are "of an age", and her descriptions of events, music, places and things were an enjoyable trip back in time for me.
Very well done; I will be reading it again at a slower pace. Loved it!

[Kristina Webb]

A memoir that reads like a novel. Martha leads readers by hand through over thirty years of her life. Filled with everything from suspense to romance. As common of a thing to say, I could not put this down. Well, I couldn't put it down without annoyance of having to return to my own life 😄

[Book Reviewer]

Martha L. Thompson’s The Rug Dealer is a candid, fast-moving memoir about desire, reinvention, and the stories we tell ourselves when reality threatens a cherished fantasy. It begins with Thompson at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles, trying to finalize a divorce from a man who disappeared decades earlier, then circles back to 1980, when she arrived in Konya as an adventurous but sheltered teenage exchange student. There she becomes infatuated with Mehmet, a charismatic rug dealer whose pull on her shapes years of romantic decisions, dangerous travels, and startling misjudgments.

Thompson writes in a direct, conversational voice that preserves the immediacy of her younger self. Her descriptions of Turkish tea, crowded trains, family apartments, ancient landmarks, Manhattan streets, and backstage life give the memoir a vivid sense of place. The most revealing moments come when the older author allows us to recognize dangers that the young Martha can’t yet understand. Attraction repeatedly overrides warning signs, and acting becomes both a genuine vocation and a way to escape feelings she hasn’t learned to face. That tension gives the book its emotional momentum.

The memoir’s many short chapters create an episodic rhythm, carrying Martha through Turkey, Paris, Portugal, New York, regional theaters, Juilliard, and Los Angeles. Some emotional patterns recur often, particularly her search for men who resemble Mehmet and her habit of treating risky situations as romantic adventures. Yet that repetition also conveys the stubborn nature of obsession. Thompson doesn’t polish her younger self into an easy heroine. She records her dishonesty, self-absorption, cultural assumptions, and reckless choices with unusual openness. The warmth brought by her acting career, her dog Gus, and her eventual relationship with Don gradually deepens the story beyond romantic fixation.

The Rug Dealer will appeal most to readers who enjoy memoirs about complicated relationships, youthful risk-taking, international travel, and the slow work of gaining self-knowledge. Theater lovers will appreciate the substantial account of Thompson’s training and professional acting life, while readers interested in Turkey will find plenty of sensory and cultural detail viewed through an American visitor’s evolving perspective. It’s an especially good choice for anyone who’s ever looked back on an old obsession and wondered how much of its power came from the person involved, and how much came from the life they imagined around them.

[Kimberly Wroten]

An absorbing memoir with a beautiful cover, but I had a hard time getting into the author's headspace.The book itself is stunning, and the gorgeous cover perfectly sets an exotic tone. However, the author's decision-making left me unsettled. It was incredibly frustrating to watch her ignore blatant red flags with Mamet. He was clear he wouldn’t marry her, and she even saw firsthand that he was a dishonest rug buyer who took advantage of people on value—yet she continued to tell herself he was a great guy.

Her behavioral contradictions were truly baffling. She was willing to become Muslim for marriage, yet provided no evidence that she would modify her independent travel or Western cultural norms. She was duped into international rug smuggling, but she followed it with more poor decisions—like sleeping in a train station back room right after being robbed, and years later marrying a man she had never even met.

The book shines brightest when she focuses on her craft; I thoroughly enjoyed her vivid descriptions of play auditions. Those theatrical segments provided a wonderful, much-needed insight into intelligent, hardworking Martha. It is a cautionary tale, but the endless stream of reckless choices made it a baffling read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sneha]

Okay but tell me why this book feels like “study abroad but make it emotionally unhinged.”

The Rug Dealer by Martha L. Thompson follows a Midwestern girl who lands in central Turkey and instead of just collecting souvenirs, she collects red flags. And somehow? Falls in love with them.

The Turkish charmer in this story? Walking, talking “I can fix him” energy. He’s magnetic, mysterious, and absolutely not good for her. What starts as romance slowly slides into manipulation, obsession, and yes, international rug smuggling. Because apparently regular heartbreak wasn’t dramatic enough.

What I loved is how real the emotional addiction feels. Even after he ends things, he still lives rent-free in her head. She goes back to America, dives into her studies at Juilliard, tries to rebuild, but healing isn’t linear. It’s messy. It’s weak moments. It’s going back to the very thing that broke you.

And that return to Turkey? Whew. Self-awareness battling self-destruction in real time. This isn’t just about a toxic man. It’s about identity, culture, ambition, and how easy it is to lose yourself when something feels bigger than your entire world.

If you love dramatic, introspective, “why am I like this?” type reads with cultural depth and emotional chaos, this one’s for you.

[Jithendra Jithu]

Martha L. Thompson’s The Rug Dealer is the kind of memoir that pulls you in with wanderlust and keeps you hooked with emotional turbulence. What begins as a teenage exchange student’s adventure in Turkey quickly evolves into a layered story about vulnerability, cultural immersion, and the dangerous allure of first love. The author captures that intoxicating feeling of being young and far from home, where every experience feels amplified.

The relationship with Mehmet is both fascinating and frustrating to witness. He’s charming, enigmatic, and clearly trouble, yet the emotional pull he has over Martha feels painfully real. The memoir doesn’t glamorize the toxicity but instead exposes how easy it is to fall into patterns of obsession, especially when mixed with cultural fascination and personal insecurity.

What makes this book stand out is its honesty. Martha reflects on her past with clarity and self-awareness, never shying away from her mistakes. It’s messy, emotional, and deeply human—a story that lingers long after the final page.

[Calvin]

If you think The Rug Dealer is just another travel memoir, think again. This book dives deep into the psyche of a young woman navigating identity, desire, and self-deception while far from home. Turkey isn’t just a backdrop it becomes a character in itself, shaping Martha’s choices and emotions.

The romance at the center of the story is intense and unsettling. Mehmet isn’t written as a simple villain, which makes the dynamic even more compelling. Instead, the relationship feels layered, reflecting the complexity of real-life emotional entanglements where love and manipulation often blur.

The writing is immersive and reflective, offering readers not just a story but an experience. It’s a reminder of how formative our early choices can be and how they echo long into adulthood.

[Sephe Haven]

The Rug Dealer is Martha Thompson’s page-turning, coming of age memoir of the elating, devastating power of First Love (especially an exotic foreign first love) to shape who we want to be, shifting our hopes toward something we never knew we wanted, casting a spell not easily broken. I could barely turn the pages fast enough to keep up with Martha’s brave young self on the adventure of a lifetime as she finally becomes who she was meant to be.

Sephe Haven, (Isadora O’Boto) - author of “My Whorizontal Life: An Escort’s Tale” & “A Someday Courtesan”, Solo Show “My Whorizontal Life: The Play”, Podcast: My Index to S$X.

[Art Porton]

Driven by a desire to see the world, 17-year-old Martha Thompson becomes an exchange student, uprooting herself from the safety of her Appleton, Wisconsin childhood to live for a summer with a family in Konya, Turkey. Despite her host family’s best efforts, Martha finds dangerous, exciting love that summer with Mehmet, a dashing young rug merchant. Ms. Thompson’s memoir captures the echoes of that romance across years and continents as she travels, commits a small number of felonies, and ultimately becomes an accomplished actor in New York City. Readers will cheer for Martha as she comes to terms with the lessons learned in her youth.

Art Porton – author

[Alex]

The Rug Dealer is a treat to read. From the very first pages, Martha Thompson's memoir will draw you in and take you on a wild ride through exotic, dreamlike places and cultures. The book introduces you to unexpected friends you'll wish you knew, mysterious locales you'll yearn to explore, and pulls you through exciting twists and turns (including accidental smuggling and international crime). This coming-of-age story will remind you of the vivid pain and pleasure of being young, falling in love for the first time, and learning the true cost you pay for following your dreams and your heart.

Highly recommended.

[Harsha]

There’s something almost cinematic about The Rug Dealer. The sights, sounds, and emotions leap off the page, creating a story that feels vivid and immediate. Martha’s journey begins with curiosity but quickly spirals into something far more complex.

The relationship with Mehmet is portrayed with nuance, showing both its allure and its danger. It’s not just about him it’s about what he represents to Martha: freedom, rebellion, and escape from her former self.

What lingers most is the emotional aftermath. The story doesn’t end when the relationship does. Instead, it explores the long-lasting impact of those experiences, making it a deeply introspective read.

[Gana]

The Rug Dealer is as much about internal conflict as it is about external adventure. Martha’s time in Turkey is filled with excitement, but also with moments of doubt and confusion that feel incredibly real.

The romance is messy and complicated, refusing to fit into a neat narrative. Mehmet’s presence looms large, even when he’s not physically there, illustrating the lasting impact of emotionally intense relationships.

The memoir’s strength lies in its introspection. Martha’s willingness to confront her past makes this a powerful and thought-provoking read.

[Pat A.]

The Rug Dealer follows the exciting but often dangerous journeys of a daring young American woman, who travels to Turkey as an exchange student and falls in love with a man who will never accept her. Despite the warnings of her exchange hosts and people she meets along the way, Martha's devil-may-care attitude propels her into situations that could, ultimately, result in her imprisonment - or worse.

Pat Kramer – aka: Writer For Hire Pat Kramer, Memoir & Ghostwriter

[Dave Keliher]

A naïve young woman from Wisconsin goes alone to Turkey to find love. I lost track of the number of times I said out loud, “Martha, what are you thinking?!” And then I quickly turned the page to find out. It’s a great story and I’m thankful she is now sharing it with the world. There is an expression I used to hear about a great book--“It’s a Page Turner!” That’s what this book is. I loved this book!

Dave E. Keliher - Author of Where Does Time Go? and Best Day of My Life!

[Dylan Brody]

In this delightful self-portrait, Martha Thompson proves herself the best kind of memoirist, self-aware enough to reveal the flaws of her younger subject without romanticizing her decisions. Romance, real and imagined, international crime, deception... this is the kind of book you read on the subway and realize you've missed your stop.

Dylan Brody

[Cara Lee]

The Rug Dealer called me back to memories of my own impetuous youth, when I answered the call of adventure, whether in faraway lands or in the arms of a charismatic man - all without pausing to consider the risks. Martha Thompson was a delightful guide down her remembered road to exciting travel and ill-advised romance, and finally to the greatest adventure of all: self-discovery.

[Michael Kinnamon]

Not everyone is as artistically gifted as Martha Thompson, and few lives are filled with as much adventure! But every reader will identify with the longing for love that runs throughout this page-turning memoir.

Michael Kinnamon, author of A Rooftop in Jerusalem

[Camille]

A coming of age memoir about a young woman who falls in love with a Turkish criminal. Intriguing concept, but the delivery fell a bit flat for me. I reviewed it on my blog: https://wineandhistory.wordpress.com/...

[Nicole Carlotti]

This book took me on a journey! I found this coming of age story about the author’s Turkish homestay very easy to read. I enjoyed her storytelling, and her choices kept me on edge the entire time—I worried for her and just wanted her to be alright! If you’re interested in acting, international travel, and coming of age stories, this book is for you.