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Feb 15, 2021IndyPL_SteveB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant and absorbing follow-up to Conway’s best-selling memoir, *The Road from Coorain*. Conway is a wonderful example of that perfect friend we all need, who makes us smarter through her presence – without having made us feel stupid first. Conway grew up in Australia but left it after college in 1960 because it was a dead place for women intellectuals. She was accepted into the history PhD program at Harvard and discovered a group of women from around the world who were smart, confident, and willing to share their experiences. Her appreciation of Harvard became somewhat diminished when she realized that Harvard was happy to brag about their opportunities for women but unwilling to actually HIRE female PhD graduates as professors. She married John Conway, a Harvard history professor from Canada. Eventually they moved to teaching positions at the University of Toronto. After several years pushing the University for equal pay for female staff and other modern improvements, an impressed new University President hired her as the Vice President of Internal Affairs. The best parts of the book have to do with Conway’s powers of observation and her sharp writing style. She has a special gift for being able to give you atmosphere of place and time. And she shows you how a life of competence and perseverance can lead you toward your goals. Wonderful book.