She Writes Press

In this inspiring collection of interviews and portraits, over twenty Maasai women share the ways education has transformed their lives by giving them the tools to overcome poverty and empowering them to make profound differences in their communities. Through their stories, the women featured in Lessons in Hope lay bare the overwhelming challenges many Maasai women and girls continue to face. For some, hunger hovers nearby, only one bad drought away. Many must raise children without running water or electricity. Most struggle to gain a basic education, see a doctor, or earn an income. And too many Maasai girls still endure female genital mutilation, early forced marriages, and other forms of violence. Yet these remarkable women have overcome the odds. As graduates of the first school for Maasai girls in East Africa, these thriving leaders now hold positions in education, health care, nonprofits, government, and business. Their stories reveal a cadre of Maasai women working toward positive change within their own culture and offering a compelling, optimistic vision for the future. Proceeds from the sale of this book support education for Maasai girls.

What if the only way to rebuild your life is to begin by tearing down the walls? When a successful designer, entrepreneur, and lifelong city dweller hesitantly agrees to follow her husband''s dream of country living, she doesn''t expect to be undone by a sagging Victorian farmhouse and the relentless wind howling through uninsulated walls. But as holes are patched and rooms slowly take shape, something surprising happens: space opens up. Not just in their crumbling home, but in her heart. Told with humor, vulnerability, and the insight of a woman rebuilding more than just a house, From There to Here: How an Old House Remodeled Me is a love story - not only between a wife and her husband but also between a woman shaped by fast-paced living and a slower, quieter way of life. With each creaky floorboard and stripped layer of old wallpaper, Maida Korte discovers unexpected beauty, remembers buried dreams, and finds strength in the women who came before her. For anyone who has ever wondered what lies beyond the edge of timelines and control, this is a warm, wise, and deeply human invitation to slow down, dig deep, and make peace with change - one shingle at a time.

In 1942, during the height of World War II, Wild Bill Donovan, the director of the United States'' first spy agency, believes women are the key to winning the intelligence battle with the Nazis. To that end, he partners fledgling agent Kit Thomas with British MI6 agent Mark Williams and sends them to one of the most perilous places in the world - Massawa, Eritrea - to investigate the theft of millions of military payroll dollars. In Massawa, Kit and Mark discover a conspiracy by Nazi sympathizers, known as the Vichy, to shut down the only Allied naval base on the Red Sea - which is an essential resource in stopping the Nazi invasion of North Africa. As they work to reveal the conspirators, Kit and Mark engage in a dangerous and tempestuous dance of trust versus mistrust.

When society is primed to regard you as an outcast even before a sexually transmitted disease starts killing your gay brothers, coming out of the closet is hard enough - but even that is only the first step. Afterward, it can be challenging to cultivate self-respect, let alone find the lasting love you deserve and the home you crave.  In this earnest, hopeful memoir, Brooks Kolb explores the conflict between his personal and professional identities as he traces his round trip journey from Seattle to Paris, Philadelphia, London, and San Francisco against the backdrop of the 1970s sexual revolution and the devastating AIDS pandemic that followed. During his travels, Brooks becomes a landscape architect, comes out of the closet, crosses racial barriers to win lasting love, loses that love, and finds belonging. Along the way he learns that freedom demands that one construct their own morality in the face of social ostracism, that loss is an inherent attribute of love, and that the need to belong can be just as urgent as the need for love. Heartbreaking but ultimately inspiring, Landscape in Lavender will charm readers across generations - LGBTQ+, cisgender, and straight alike - who struggle, or have struggled, to live a truly authentic life.

Born with a cleft lip into an upper-middle-class, conservative family obsessed with image and success, Jill Vanneman was subjected early to a ''perfection campaign'' aimed at erasing flaws. Told with unflinching honesty, moments of wit, and emotional depth, this coming-of-age story unfolds against the backdrop of 1980s America - a time and place where being a lesbian could cost you your job, your family, and your sense of self. As she grows into adolescence, college, and early adulthood, Jill begins to question not only her place in her family but also her sexual identity. Her journey leads her through turbulent relationships, professional achievements shadowed by internalized shame, and a heartbreaking attempt to reconcile with disapproving parents. Gradually, through therapy, spiritual exploration, and painful introspection, Jill learns that healing doesn''t come from perfection but from embracing the flawed, fierce truth of who she is. A raw, deeply personal memoir of family expectations, social shame, and a relentless drive for perfection, The Perfection Campaign is a compelling testament to resilience, identity, and the high cost - and ultimate liberation - of living authentically.

Four-year-old Duncan needs to hurry up and find a mate - at least, according to his sister, Cloud. But she doesn''t know about the mistake that''s preventing him from leaving their family to start another.   Though he''s the eldest, Duncan doesn''t see himself as a father. Yet that''s what he must become when both his parents die of the mysterious illness that''s killing crows across New York City. He devotes himself to caring for his siblings, including three fledglings - but he soon discovers he can''t protect them from the ''blind death.'' Meanwhile, a zoo pathologist''s worst fears are realized. It starts with dead flamingos. Then critically ill New Yorkers start showing up in hospital emergency rooms. Some blame the crows.

What if the life you were meant to live was waiting just outside your door? New York City, 2013. Emma Jablonski''s life is as dry as the day-old bread at her family''s bakery. Living with her parents and grandmother, she clings to the only escape she knows: a recurring dream that feels more real than her waking world. But when Emma''s eyes are open, she''s reminded of what''s out of reach - Jake, the enigmatic boy-next-door. After a life-changing diagnosis forces her to face her fears, Emma decides it''s time to truly live - before it''s too late. With Jake and his vibrant friend Vee, she dives into a whirlwind of experiences: a fake engagement, dazzling parties, and an obsession with the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that may not even exist. But as her daring adventure is coming to an end, Emma begins to embrace a future she never thought possible. Dreams and reality aren''t supposed to mix . . . are they? A modern retelling of L.M. Montgomery''s The Blue Castle, this gentle story of love, resilience, and the beauty of the unknown reminds us to seek joy in the most unexpected places.

A powerful memoir of trauma, resilience, and female empowerment, House of Pretend tells the story of a girl who, raised in the shadow of her father''s death by an emotionally abusive, narcissistic mother, learns early to perform, to please, and to pretend - and spends the rest of her life struggling to unlearn those behaviors. Determined to escape the silence and neglect of her childhood, Joanne claws her way into the male-dominated world of Wall Street as a young woman - only to find that success means nothing without self-worth. When her boss offers her a million dollars to have his child, she is forced to reckon with everything she''s buried: the deep ache of abandonment, years of chasing love in all the wrong places, and the belief that she''s undeserving of more. What follows is not a transformation into someone new but rather a fierce unmasking - a reclamation of the voice, worth, and identity she has had within her all along. Offering a gripping blend of raw emotion and biting clarity, House of Pretend is about what happens when a woman stops waiting to be saved and instead saves herself - with grit, honesty, and just the right amount of badassery.

When Fiona Copeland is diagnosed with terminal lung disease, she risks everything on the chance of a few more years of life.  Far from New York is a lung transplant center that can procure lungs for transplant within a month. But the center requires each patient to bring their own full-time, in-house caregiver with them - and Fiona''s husband, Dane, cannot leave town. So, in breach of the center''s strict rules, Fiona hires a caregiver and she and her fake husband, Mason, head to Tennessee. The Johnson''s River center is a grueling rehab program where patients exercise for three hours daily to prepare for surgery. Over the course of her first weeks there, Fiona discovers the close bonding that develops among people fighting at high risk - and is devastated when one of the cohort dies. Meanwhile, weeks turn into months without Fiona getting transplant matches. Her marriage suffers from the long distance, and the realization she might actually die threatens to unravel her. But she is thrown a shocking life buoy when Mason''s young daughter comes to join them at the center. Captivated by the girl and growing increasingly closer to Mason, Fiona finds herself with compelling new reasons to fight - not least of which is this unexpected found family.

What if your greatest teachers weren''t shamans in the jungle but the people you eat breakfast with every morning? The Mother Vine is a raw, often funny, and deeply human story of one woman''s awakening through plant medicine - and the winding road that leads her there. After walking away from a high-powered TV career and a picture-perfect life in Canada, Shannon moves her family to the jungled slopes of Kauai in search of a more laid-back existence. But instead of fresh mangoes and good surf, she finds herself swept into a tide of unexpected revelations.? In the crucible of motherhood, Shannon''s two sons and husband become unlikely teachers, reflecting her forgotten pieces with unrelenting love and occasional ferocity. Their struggles crack her open in ways no self-help book ever could. When deep-seated heartache has her seeking transformation, an invitation to drink ayahuasca becomes a lifeline. Guided by ancient wisdom and insatiable curiosity, Shannon begins the journey of remembering who she truly was - and still is. More than a memoir of healing, The Mother Vine is a love letter to the mess of motherhood, the mystery of the medicine path, and the sacred power of being fully alive. If you''ve ever longed for something deeper, this book is for you.

When she is supposed to be having the time of her life in college in California, Leonie loses her mother to breast cancer. After taking her last college course in Buenos Aires, she cashes in her return flight ticket and refuses to go home, erroneously believing that her grief will subside if she avoids her family. Narrating in her own grief-stricken voice, Leonie travels across Argentina, makes friends, and falls in love. She discovers her vulnerability and strength while working at a winery in Mendoza, riding over the treacherous Andes Mountains, and hiking the ancient pilgrimage to Machu Picchu - and, in doing so, slowly begins to heal. Vividly rendered and full of heart, Learning to Whistle will resonate with every person who has ever been forced to venture into the world when they didn''t feel ready for it - with or without the guidance of a parent.

When three generations of women - a Gen X narrator, her seventy-seven-year-old mother, and her twenty-two-year-old Gen Z daughter - set out for a quick trip to California''s Central Coast, what begins as a road trip soon transforms into something far richer: a modern-day Odyssey. Over the course of three days, the three women brave a severe winter storm, encounter ravenous ostriches, walk through an enchanted light exhibit, binge-watch White Lotus, hunt for coffee with plant-based milk, bicker, reconcile, and share stories. Troika braids the narrative of a three-day road trip with the longer strands of migration, memory, and motherhood, creating a layered meditation on distance traveled - geographic, generational, and emotional. The result is a kaleidoscopic journey that traverses the landscapes of identity and family history and stretches from the horrors of the second world war and an escape from Soviet Russia to adolescence and motherhood in the suburbs of Silicon Valley. As the narrative swerves from heartbreak to hilarity, from Homeric detours and Russian proverbs to internet memes, it weaves together an intimate, poignant, and darkly funny meditation on how we get from where we were to where we are - and what we carry with us along the way.

Lost souls come in all forms - some walk on two legs, others on four. Navigating loneliness and loss is a natural part of growing older, but it''s never easy. In King the Wonder Dog, this journey becomes more bearable for a group of men and women when their interactions with the dogs and cats that share their lives help them discover a deeper understanding of themselves. A woman whose dog is stolen from her meets a surprising ally who helps get him back. An artist who survives a drive-by shooting is brought a mysterious trinket by the cat he saved from a lonely life. A man in a troubled marriage begins drawing a graphic novel starring his dog as his fierce protector, and it consoles him. A poignant collection filled with warmth, heart, and quiet moments of reflection, King the Wonder Dog explores the nuances of companionship, the beauty of second chances, and the ways we rescue each other when we least expect it. For anyone who has ever found comfort in the presence of a loyal pet, these stories are a reminder that love - no matter where it comes from - has the power to change everything.

At thirty-two, Laurie outgrows her sleepy beach town and moves to the epicenter of the anything-goes eighties: Los Angeles. There, she befriends a teenage wizard and a Russian defector. She enrolls in a Hogwarts-style psychic college. She gets a job at a hilltop Hindu convent, where she considers taking her monastic vows. She dates an Indian guru and shares heart-to-heart conversations with a Catholic priest. But it is only when her home nearly burns to the ground that Laurie finds what she is looking for: her true calling. Reading passages from a cache of 300 old diaries that were spared by the flames, Laurie locates clues planted in her past and gradually comes to a realization: She must let go of the conventional, ''white-picket fence'' marital vow she has sought for decades, and instead must fashion an entirely different kind of vow for herself. With this knowledge in hand, Laurie sets about fulfilling her sacred contract. In turn, she experiences for the first time an intense rightness - a sense that this is how her life is meant to be.

We are all shaped by the cultures that surround us-their expectations, ideals, and norms. But what happens when those cultures collide? When your mother embodies one world and your father another? In this profoundly personal follow-up to Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe explores the intersections of race, class, and gender as they are moulded by family, religion, and migration. Born to a Peruvian mother and an American father, Marlowe''s early life spanned continents-from the Philippines to Ecuador, Brazil to the United States-leaving her with a sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once. Through a series of thematically linked essays, she reflects on the complexities of identity, the fluidity of culture, and the enduring search for home. Now raising two sons with her Syrian Muslim husband, Marlowe continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of culture, language, and faith. Inspired by scholar Gloria Anzaldua''s concept of the borderlands, Portrait of a Mestiza is both a meditation on life lived in the ''in-between'' spaces and a call to dismantle the binaries that divide us. Thought-provoking and deeply relevant, this collection urges us to embrace hybridity, challenge inherited limitations, and create for ourselves more ethical and expansive lives.

Inspired by true events, this Chinatown-meets The Grapes of Wrath novel tells the story of California''s Sacramento Delta farmers facing off against agribusiness owners over the massive water tunnel(s) the state plans to build under hundreds of thousands of acres of prime Delta farmland. Winter 2022-''23 inundated California with as much as three times the average rain and snowfall and pulled the state out of one of its biggest droughts in recorded history. But the truth is that the American West, from the Oregon border down to Mexico, is prone to drought-and in California, the biggest battle for water takes place in the Great Central Valley, where south-of-Delta agribusiness controls every stream feeding into the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The protagonists of More Than Any River are the family farmers fighting for the Delta, and the antagonist is the big agribusiness controlling its water-but ultimately, the Great Central Valley itself emerges as the central character in this gripping tale of divisive land politics and high stakes.