About Laura Hillenbrand

 

Some years ago, I happened upon a book entitled, “Seabiscuit.”  It was a fantastic find:  I gorged on every word; not wanting to put it down.  Who was this Laura Hillenbrand?  I had never heard of her, but her name poured out of my mouth every time I was with someone and we got to talking about books and authors.

And, several years later, the movie appeared.  I had to see it.  I was disappointed.  The story was told in a way that did not project the intimate details that were revealed in Laura’s words.

I lost track of Laura; probably because she didn’t write another book soon after “Seabiscuit” was published.  “Unbroken” was published in 2010.  I was not aware of it; if I were, I would have read it.

Now, Laura’s second best-seller has been moved to the “big screen.”  And directed by Angelina Jolie.  I will see that movie when it appears in the theaters in just a few days.  There has been so much hype about it.  I plan to read the book, and am expecting to be drawn in to the story of Louie Zamperini, competitive runner, and his experiences during World War II while serving with the United States Army Air Corps.

Laura Hillenbrand has overcome great odds in writing her wonderful nonfiction stories:  She has been a patient suffering with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) for more than 25 years!  Unfortunately, she is mostly housebound and cannot travel; however, she has devised her special ways to write in spite of her illness.

Thanks, Tom Kindlon, for posting the link to the NYTimes-magazine article by Wil S. Hylton, on Google+.  It’s long, but well worth the read.  Laura Hillenbrand is truly an amazing woman!

International Women’s Day-March 8th

I was perusing my emails and came upon an Avon newsletter, proclaiming that today was International Women’s Day.  I never knew that we women had a special day set aside for us across the globe.  As a matter of fact, the Secretary-General of the United Nations proclaimed:

Equality for women is progress for all

“Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth. Companies with more women leaders perform better. Peace agreements that include women are more durable. Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support. The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

International Women’s Day-March 8th

Being a woman, and a feminist, I find this all very interesting and quite positive.  Here is a history of the formation of and observance of International Women’s Day which I found after doing some research:

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908
Great unrest and critical debate was occurring among women.   Women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on  February 28th. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910
n 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women’s Day was the result.

1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However, less than a week later on March 25th, the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labor legislation in the United States and became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. 1911 also saw women’s ‘Bread and Roses‘ campaign.

1913-1914
On the eve of World War I, campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913.   In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to March 8, and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since. In 1914 more women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women’s solidarity.

1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace” in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders,, the women continued to strike until four days later, the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women’s strike commenced was Sunday February 23rd on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was March 8th.

1918 – 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women’s Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women’s rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as ‘International Women’s Year‘ by the United Nations. Women’s organizations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on March 8th, by holding large-scale events that honor women’s advancement, while diligently being a reminder of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women’s equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honoring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc., with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that ‘all the battles have been won for women’ while many feminists from the 1970’s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women’s visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts; women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics; and globally, women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers.  Are we aligning ourselves for having a woman in the White House?  Women have real choices.  And so, the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!!

A Permanent Thing

Yesterday, I had a very important appointment.  Her name is Tracy, and she is a very talented woman.  I’ve known her for many years, and I entrust her with a very important part of my body.  When the appointment was over, I felt like a new woman!

Today, I had lunch with sister and daughter – special time as always.

Another appointment loomed afterward – doctor appointment.  When that appointment was over, I stepped into the elevator going down.  Had to maneuver carefully – it was loaded with people plus a man in a wheelchair with his caregiver.  As the elevator door closed, a small voice behind me spoke.  I turned around and saw she had a lovely face and was smiling at me.  Her words were, “I like your hair.”