"In the company of a brave and determined young woman, Radical Spirits takes us to the fraught social and religious frontier between two cultures, India and America in the late 1800s. The journey makes for a captivating story, every page granting insights into the age-old struggle to surmount entrenched borders and barriers." -- Robert Kanigel, author of The Man Who Knew Infinity and Eyes on the Street In 1883, an eighteen-year-old Indian woman named Anandi Joshee sailed alone from Calcutta to New York with the goal of becoming a doctor. At the time there were no schools for girls in India. Also, the few doctors (who were all male) were not permitted to treat female patients. Having witnessed the suffering of women, Anandi hoped to help create a culture that saw women as deserving and capable of equality with men. Anandi faced critics in India and skeptics in America. Her mentor was her husband Gopal, who tutored her at home and fostered her ambition. Her unexpected champion was Theodocia Carpenter, a New Jersey housewife who initiated a three year correspondence, offering "all possible help." With her determination and grace, Anandi won the support of all -- Indians, Americans, as well as British -- who crossed her path. Three thousand supporters attended her 1886 graduation from the Woman's Medical College in Philadelphia. Using original letters, university archives, and newspaper accounts, "Radical Spirits" draws a textured portrait of British India and post-Civil War America. Exploring the relationships that Indian, British and American individuals forged by bridging cultural, political, and class boundaries is sure to be a rich and rewarding experience. ADVANCE PRAISE "A sensitive look at the inner world of India's first woman doctor, the pain and suffering she endured, and the determination that drove her remarkable and inspiring journey." -- Shrabani Basu, author of Victoria and Abdul "Deeply researched and accessibly written, this intimate portrait is also a social and cultural history of the circuits of a transnational figure who made medical history. Readers of Radical Spirits will come away with a critical appreciation of the worlds Anandi Joshee traveled through and the challenges she faced as she pursued a medical education and "a new independent self." . . . Despite her short life, Dr. Joshee found kith and kin in India, Britain and beyond. Nandini Patwardhan has brought the paradoxes of her life alive for a new generation of readers." -- Antoinette Burton, historian of 19th and 20th century Britain, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign ". . . By telling the history of Anandi-bai Joshee, Nandini Patwardhan has crafted a uniquely intimate and revealing portrait of the long history of migrants from India to America. A beautiful story and a rich history, Radical Spirits reveals how individual lives matter, and how one pioneering woman crossed the borders of nations and cultures, as well as the gendered boundaries of the medical profession." -- Nico Slate, Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University and author of Gandhi's Search for the Perfect Diet: Eating with the World in Mind. ". . . I thoroughly enjoyed every word, and I am in awe of Patwardhan's accomplishment. Dr. Joshee's life story will stay with me forever. This book is a treasure for anyone interested in strong, path-breaking women." -- Jyotsna Sreenivasan, author of And Laughter Fell from the Sky and Aruna's Journeys "Every significant life needs to be chronicled and remembered ... I am sure the book will inspire, motivate and educate . . ." -- Sathya Saran, Indian journalist, author, and former editor of Femina

Radical Spirits: India’s First Woman Doctor and Her American Champions

Biographies & Memoirs

Patwardhan, Nandini

Community & Culture

Story Artisan Press

Rewriting My Happily Ever After is a brave, intimate look at reclaiming life after divorce. Ranjani Rao dives deep into her struggles, vulnerabilities, strengths, and triumphs as a newly single mother, offering a powerful manual for women who are transitioning into a new life. A must-read for anyone who seeks to understand the aftermath of separation and divorce. 
~ Veena Rao, Author of Purple Lotus\nOnce I leave my husband’s house, am I still a wife? 
What happens when the fairy tale marriage falls apart? 
Ranjani flies out of Mumbai as a young, starry-eyed bride anticipating an American-style Bollywood-version of her very own happily-ever-after. By thirty, she has a Ph.D., a green card and a daughter. The marriage is rocky but Ranjani is secure in being somebody’s daughter, sister, wife, mother. 
When the family returns to India, her family situation deteriorates further. When she finally walks out after sixteen years of marriage, Ranjani has to answer the dreaded questions: What will people say? What about my child? How will I live alone? 
Despite her education, work history and experience of living abroad, Ranjani has no idea what lies on the road ahead for her, for her daughter and for their place in society. 
While renting a house, paying the bills and figuring out her new life, Ranjani has to overcome private fears, public scrutiny and unexpected loss as she embraces her identity as a single parent. 
If you are.. 
★ Considering 
★ Going through or 
★ Are finding your way after a divorce in a culture that is not supportive… 
This book is for you. 
It is possible to walk the path you have been assigned with gratitude and forgiveness, courage and grace, humility and confidence, without falling apart. 
Rewriting My Happily Ever After is an evocative, honest account of the aftermath of divorce in an unsupportive culture. This uplifting memoir of grace and courage shows how to build resilience and find happiness by being true to yourself. 
Read this book and rewrite YOUR happily ever after.

Rewriting My Happily Ever After: A Memoir of Divorce and Discovery

Rao, Dr Ranjani

Religion & Spirituality

Desi Modern Love: An Anthology of True Stories

Mohan, Kalpana

Iyer, Lakshmi

Ramaganapathy, Sathya

Pandey, Surabhi

Rao, Ranjani

R. Krishnan, Chandrika

Parenting & Relationships

Train Friends: Bombay Roots, Parallel Tracks, Shared Journeys

Literature & Fiction

Essays & Correspondence

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