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Entries For: February 2008
Life Is A Verb
In many of my books, I explore the world of women in medicine (both historical and contemporary). "Domina," for example, deals with the barriers facing 19th century women who wished to become doctors. They were barred from medical schools, or if they somehow gained entry, were forced to sit outside classrooms and were forbidden to attend anatomy classes. Women were considered mentally too weak to grasp medicine, and certainly not mentally or emotionally strong enough to make such important decisions as diagnosis and treatment. Pioneers such as Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) were considered "unfeminine," and faced bias not only among her peers but in the public at large as well.
Out of Africa
I am alarmed by the news that is coming out of Kenya, about the chaos and mob-rule that has erupted after recent presidential elections there. The news focuses on the impact the upheaval is having on Kenyan economy (the tourism sector has been devastated by the crisis). And the Peace Corps has pulled out, after forty-eight years of operating there. My concerns, however, are on a more personal level.
A Woman of Egypt
Readers who enjoyed my novel Virgins of Paradise often ask me to recommend further reading on the subjects I covered in my book. One title I always highly recommend, and which was one of the many references I used while doing research for my novel, is Jehan Sadat’s autobiography, A Woman of Egypt (1987, Simon & Schuster, New York), the intimate and personal story of her love for Anwar Sadat and for her country.
Fresh Lessons From Old TV Shows
I am attracted to anything that involves writing. That even includes television shows which, although enjoyed through watching rather than reading, and which are therefore a visual medium, are built nonetheless upon the written word. 
Stars