Irina Martkovich's emigration from the USSR in 1979 was a life-changing journey as she traveled to a new country completely alone. In Around the World in Search for the Right Shoe, Martkovich shares her reflections on adopting to a new country's culture while undergoing her own personal changes in the process. Placing these emotions and experiences into words, she hopes readers will take away the knowledge that every immigrant carries their own unique history and culture which distinguishes them as an individual, a real person just making their way in the world.

Irina Martkovich has her master's degree in English literature and speaks three languages fluently: Russian, Latvian, and English. She taught English as a Second Language to students from all over the world for more than thirty-five years.