Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Scientists at work.
  • Disappointing
  • The most brilliant female British scientist of the 20th century
  • The true story behind a myth
  • Heartbreaking Story of a Woman Scientist
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA
Brenda Maddox
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  2. Rosalind Franklin and DNA Rosalind Franklin and DNA
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ASIN: 0060985089
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Book Description

In 1962, Maurice Wilkins, Francis Crick, and James Watson received the Nobel Prize, but it was Rosalind Franklin's data and photographs of DNA that led to their discovery.

Brenda Maddox tells a powerful story of a remarkably single-minded, forthright, and tempestuous young woman who, at the age of fifteen, decided she was going to be a scientist, but who was airbrushed out of the greatest scientific discovery of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Scientists at work........2007-04-22

After reading the book it is clear the scientific community is both collegial and cut throat. In Franklin's case, the lure of honor compels a fellow scientist to use Rosalind's research without giving her the credit she deserved in uncovering the structure of DNA. Maddox provides insight into the not always amicable inner workings of a research lab and the psychology of scientists.

As an elite, Jewish, female Francophile, Franklin was not an easy person to get along with, especially in the lab at King's College London under Dr. Randall. If she had a difficult personality though, she was anything but shy and certainly was not politically naive. She held her own in a male dominated environment and perhaps this is the reason she become known as the Dark Lady. Maddox does her best to give Franklin a balanced appraisal.

Scientists share information and materials through attendance at conferences and in social settings and keeping up with each other's work is expected. But, the use of Rosalind's unpublished material (the crucial photo 51 and experimental data) without her knowledge, to make a breakthrough discovery, is of questionable ethics.

The author presents some insight into the mentality of the scientist. She quotes Albert Einstein, "that a scientist makes science `the pivot of his emotional life, in order to find in this way the peace and security which he cannot find in the whirlpool of personal experience.'"(32). To Rosalind "science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."(61) Is this why she found it so difficult to explain her work to family and friends? They simply could not understand?

Maddox notes: "it can be argued that scientific discovery is not creativity in the sense that artistic composition is. `Science differs from other realms of human endeavor in that its substance does not derive from the activity of those who practice it'"(213) Therefore it is interesting when an eminent scientist is caught in the trap of his own beliefs and exposed. This occurred when Rosalind corrected the eminent British virologist Norman W. Price. She was right, and had the proof, but he would not accept it, even in the face of convincing evidence to the contrary.


2 out of 5 stars Disappointing.......2007-04-12

This is an essential book. I rushed to it after finishing The Double Helix, by James Watson; I was incensed by Watson's misogyny and eager to learn the other side of the story. And this is the main accomplishment of Maddox's book, that it does give the other side of the story in a thorough and detailed manner. Too often, however, Maddox's tone slips into defensiveness, and her feminism appears to be a position she arrived at not as a result of rational thinking but because of her bitterness at the many injustices women have suffered at the hands of men.

I was troubled by this. I admire Rosalind Franklin -- yes, I have to admit that my admiration was nourished to a great extent by Maddox's book -- but I'm put off by how much of her biography of Franklin is a direct, self-righteous and self-justifying response to James Watson's flippant comments in The Double Helix. I was disappointed, for instance, by how much time Maddox spends explaining how sophisticated Franklin's taste in fashion was, simply because Watson made a snide comment in his book about Franklin's clothes and hairdo.

Another problem with Maddox's narrative is its pace. I found the book very hard to get through; paragraph after paragraph plods on, heavy with detail and almost empty of energy. I read The Double Helix in three days, breathless with excitement; for all its flaws, Watson's telling of the story sparkles. I don't look, when I read, to be entertained at the expense of truth, but I don't want either to be given the truth in a dry and awkward way. And Maddox's syntax is often awkward; I found myself going back again and again over her sentences to figure out what she was trying to say.

This material -- the story of Rosalind Franklin's life -- needs a better and more evenhanded writer, one who has nothing to prove and is aware that a biography, no matter how well-intentioned, can, just like the badly-intentioned ones, tell only one side of the story.

5 out of 5 stars The most brilliant female British scientist of the 20th century.......2007-01-10

Probably the most meticulously researched biography I have ever read. Maddox`s accounts of the personalities, not only of Rosalind, but of all the famed scientists she came into contact with,are breatktaking. And Rosalind,herself,comes across as human and humane besides having a brilliant mind.

5 out of 5 stars The true story behind a myth.......2005-09-13

Rosalind Franklin is the closest that 20th century science has to a mythical figure. She had already died before the great majority of people had heard of her, but she sprang into prominence in James Watson's famous book The Double Helix. Watson's portrayal of her was not a kind one, and readers were left with the impression of a second-rank scientist, competent enough as an experimentalist, perhaps, but barely able to understand her own results and far too possessive to allow better scientists to analyse them and make their fortunes with them. It is important to emphasize to non-scientists that an unwillingness to hand over hard-won data to anyone who asks is almost a universal characteristic -- not at all a special fault of Franklin's. Watson's portrayal of himself and his friends was not particularly flattering in his book either, but the fact that he came over as a bit of a rogue himself only tended to reinforce his unattractive portrayal of Franklin.

It was obvious even when The Double Helix appeared that the "Rosy Franklin" described there was a crude caricature, and various people, most notably Anne Sayre, have tried over the years to rehabilitate her. Their efforts have resulted in a picture almost equally caricatural: a brilliant young scientist, subject to discrimination -- as a Jewish woman -- in the masculine Christian atmosphere of King's College, unable to to get the support she needed, cheated of her data by unscrupulous superiors and competitors, denied her rightful Nobel Prize. Brenda Maddox, in this excellent biography, points out that "In ensuing decades, the myth of the wronged heroine has grown, nourished by the fact of Rosalind's early death. Rosalind Franklin has become the symbol of woman's lowly position in the pantheon of science." Now that Chicago has a Rosalind Franklin University, and even King's College has a Franklin-Wilkins Building, there is little danger that she will be forgotten.

Maddox has interviewed nearly all of the major players -- with the obvious and unavoidable exception of Franklin herself -- and has written a balanced account of the story behind the myth. Certainly, Franklin was brilliant, and given time she might well have arrived at the structure of DNA herself, but there is nothing to suggest that she herself thought she had been cheated of the discovery, and she could not have received the Nobel Prize for it, because she had already died by the time it was awarded, and it is never awarded posthumously. Moreover, in the years after the discovery she enjoyed good relations with both Watson and Francis Crick, though not with her former superior at King's, Maurice Wilkins.

4 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking Story of a Woman Scientist.......2005-07-23

This book tells the story of a woman scientist who I had never heard of. Her work on DNA is only a part of the book. She died of ovarian cancer in her late thirties. The book suggests that she might have married a fellow scientist, Don Caspar, had she not become ill. The science is accessible and held my interest. Maddox by no means paints her as a saint but presents both the positive and negative. It sounded like she may have been arrogant at times but she certainly had no picnic in making her way in science in the fifties. Very moving story.
Rosalind Franklin and DNA
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Rosalind Franklin: Honorable Woman
  • Brilliant report on the tragic life and career of a lady scientist
  • The Forgotten Heroine of the Double Helix
  • Is Sayre unbiased or even accurate?
  • The True Story of the Double Helix
Rosalind Franklin and DNA
Anne Sayre , and Anne Sayre
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393320448

Book Description

Rosalind Franklin's research was central to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of DNA's double-helix structure. Known only as the bossy, unfeminine "Rosy" in James Watson's The Double Helix, Franklin never received the credit she was due during her lifetime. In this classic work Anne Sayre sets the record straight.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Rosalind Franklin: Honorable Woman.......2006-04-18

Watson and Crick received the Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1962. Rosalind Franklin was dead, but it was her legacy that made it possible for them to receive that award. In her honor, Rosalind Franklin and DNA by Anne Sayre tells of what a compelling and determined female scientist in an age when women weren't expected to do great things. Her accomplishments in the face of adversities like hostile work environments, sexist and politically closed minded institutions and general lack of acceptance because of her gender were numerous and remarkable. Her groundbreaking work with X-rays warrants telling, and it is only right that Anne Sayre relates this fascinating story. Otherwise, a remarkable woman whose advances so influence today's society would be overlooked and overshadowed by super popular scientists like Watson and Crick. For this same reason, it is important that anyone interested in DNA, the study of viruses, x-rays, or feminism in the 20th century read this book. Rosalind Franklin's impact on our culture is too important to overlook.

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant report on the tragic life and career of a lady scientist .......2005-07-06

Rosalind Franklin was a topnotch crystallographer in the U.K. who discovered the double helical structure of DNA in the 1950's and was about to publish it. But the scientists who received the immediate credit and enjoyed fame for the discovery were three men who worked on the same problem by modeling, a method rather different from that of Rosalind's method. The men were (by now) world famous James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. They got ahold of Rosalind's data without her knowledge and beat her to the finish line... And they never gave her proper credit. In his best selling "The Double Helix" Mr. Watson even wrote about her rather unflattering lines. ("Although she made essential contributions toward elucidating the structure of DNA, Rosalind Franklin is known to many only as seen through the distorting lens of James Watson's book" ex: Physics Today)

After Rosalind's death from cancer the trio even received a Nobel prize for "their" discovery. The story of Rosalind Franklin (1920 - 1958) is a true story of competition and intrigue. Both are common among scientists. But, to my knowledge, never before have they come so close to treachery and deceit. Three men scientists used the results obtained by one woman without her knowledge and became famous overnight. For an excellent one-page summary of this story read: (The) Rosalind Franklin question in Critical Point: March 2003 (on the net). But if you want to read a fair, intelligent, balanced and reasonably detailed but not overlong book, read Sayre. It is a perfect science history book and an elegant feminist book at the same time. Factual, easy and impressive, written by a friend of Rosalind.

5 out of 5 stars The Forgotten Heroine of the Double Helix.......2003-11-15

+++++

I read Dr. James Watson's "The Double Helix"(1968) years ago. In it, he badly caricatured Dr. Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) by systematically stereotyping her. (However, in his book's epilogue he does admit that his initial impressions of her were often wrong.)

I forgot about this until I read the late Dr. Linus Pauling's "How to Live Longer and Feel Better" (1986). In the 'About the Author' section I read the following: "Watson and [Dr. Francis] Crick [both of whom worked in the Cavendish lab at Cambridge University, England] proposed the double-helix structure, which turned out to be correct. Watson and Crick had the advantage of X-ray [diffraction] photographs of DNA taken by Rosalind Franklin [who worked in a lab at King's College, a division of the University of London], an advantage denied Pauling [who worked overseas in a U.S. lab]."

Years later I read "Linus Pauling: Scientist and Peacemaker" (2001). One science article in this book called "The Triple Helix" said Pauling saw Franklin as "a talented young crystallographer [a scientist who is expert in structure and properties of crystals]" and that he had great admiration for her abilities. It also states that "[Dr. Maurice] Wilkins [the scientist who 'worked with' Franklin at King's College] was not...well trained in [the] interpretation of X-ray photos [like Franklin was]."

Thus, my interest was aroused!! I wanted to learn more about Franklin. I thus chose Anne Sayre's book for two reasons:

(1) It was originally published in 1975, just over 15 years after Franklin's death meaning the memories of events were still relatively fresh in people's minds and key people were still alive. (Contrast this to a book written in 2002, ALMOST 45 YEARS after Franklin's death. Are people's memories still reliable and are all key people still alive?)

(2) Since Sayre was Franklin's friend, she would be privy to information that only friends could share.

Sayre's book has many good features:

(1) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SECTION. In it she stated that she interviewed many scientists and/or their wives as well as significant others that were still alive. She also had access to her scientist husband (who was also a crystallographer) as well as Franklin's mother and friends.

I was surprised that Wilkins and Watson both consented "to lengthy and frank interviews." Crick also consented.

Knowing all this quelled my trepidation that this book would somehow be biased and inaccurate.

(2) THE BOOK'S INTRODUCTION (chapter 1). Here she tells us why she wrote this book. It was in response to Watson's caricature of Franklin in his 1968 book. Sayre states, "[She] was not recognizable as Rosalind Franklin. She was recognizable as something else not related to the facts."

Sayre also states that her book is more than just a biography since "biography is too cruel a word to use in connection with a life which was over long before it was finished."

(3) THE BOOK'S CONTENT (chapters 2 to 11). These chapters give a good, detailed description of Franklin. These chapters can be divided into three parts. In these parts the author describes the science Franklin was involved in. Sayre does a good job in making the science understandable. These parts also touch on other things such as science ethics and communication, the nature of science, psychology, and sexism in science. As well, included are copies of Franklin's critical lab notes and transcriptions of interviews with key people.

Part I includes chapters 2 and 3. This part give insight into Franklin's character, her education, significant people she met, and much more. It covers the years from 1920 to 1950.

Part II includes chapters 4 to 9. It covers the years from 1951 to early 1953. These were the years she worked in DNA research.

The major event that transpired during these years was that Wilkins (and others) passed Franklin's data and her X-ray photos of DNA (especially the X-ray photo of the alternative or 'B' form of DNA) to Watson and Crick without her permission, and this critical information enabled them to determine the structure of DNA. (Pauling's structural model was inadequate because, as mentioned, he did not have access to these photos.)

Part III encompasses chapters 10 and 11. It covers the years from mid-1953 to Franklin's death from cancer in 1958. During this time, she worked at a different lab on tobacco virus research and later, on polio virus research.

(4) THE BOOK'S AFTERWORD SECTION. This section discusses various issues vigorously. Some examples of what's discussed include the importance of Franklin's discoveries, what might have been if she had not died so young, how poorly Watson's book portrayed her, and more.

(5) NOTES. There are over ten pages of footnotes at the end of the book. These contain REVEALING information that never made it into the main narrative.

(6) PAULING'S BOOK ENDORSEMENT. This two-time Nobel Prize winner states his endorsement on the book's back cover. I think this speaks volumes for the book's quality!

It's good to know that Rosalind Franklin is now being honored posthumously and her reputation is being restored as part of a government crusade against sexism in science. Also, as of 2002, the "Franklin Medal" is awarded in her honor to exceptional women scientists.

Finally, besides the books mentioned above, I recommend reading "The Third Man of the Double Helix" (November 2003) by Maurice Wilkins to get his side of this story.

In conclusion, if you want to learn about a gifted female scientist and know the true story of the discovery of DNA's structure, then read this fascinating and honest book!!!

+++++

2 out of 5 stars Is Sayre unbiased or even accurate?.......2002-10-16

For those who want an exhaustive, touching and unbiased biography of Rosalind Franklin read "Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA" by Brenda Maddox. It is far superior to Sayre's analysis. Unfortunately Sayre in trying to defend her friend gets too caught up in supposition on what Franklin was likely to do and not to do, rather than providing factual evidence. Much of Sayre's biography stems from her obvious hatred of J D Watson's personal recollection of events and this leads her into inaccuracies. In the first chapter of the book her attempt to discredit Watson has Sayre stating that the eyeglasses Watson mentions Franklin wearing are pure fiction. Maddox is not so easily swayed by personal vendetta and the photograph in Maddox's book of Franklin at a scientific meeting in 1949 wearing eyeglasses clearly says more about Sayre's motives than the proverbial thousand words.

The question which none of the books on the description of thestructure of DNA can ever answer is whether Franklin would have won a Nobel had she lived. However bear in mind the following. Only three can receive the prize and Crick and Watson would always fill two of those slots. Wilkins in the obvious choice for the third spot because he stuck with DNA and provided additional experimental evidence in support of the Watson and Crick model. Franklin, although she provided help to her student Gosling after she left King's College (Against Randell's specific request that she not work on DNA) she was obviously moving on to other things. So what did Frankin provide that was important for the structure? The only really important detail was the excellent x-ray image of the B form. (Her discovery of the A and B forms was important but not for the Watson and Crick model.) The information contained in this image essentially constitutes the "stolen" data - data that was actually freely communicated amongst a number of scientists, and made available to Watson and Crick. Franklin was obviously aware that such information was used to make the model. Did she complain? Did she request coauthorship with the two "thieves"? No, she did not and it is clear from both Sayre and Maddox that if Franklin had thought she had been "robbed" she would have made her feelings known only too well! It is very possible that she knew the data had been widely disseminated.

IMPORTANT EDIT: I, like many others, believed that a photograph of the B form was included with the material sent to out by Randell but rereading Horace Judson's excellent "The Eight Day of Creation" I find that no photo was included. Thus only Watson saw the B form photo, Crick did not. Any information Watson got regarding the photo must have come from Wilkins, as Judson notes. Ironically Franklin had all the information she needed to solve the main features of the structure (3.4A/base, 34A/turn and 20A width) months before Watson and Crick.

Would Franklin have determined the structure herself? It is even more impossible to predict this than the award of the Nobel. But again bear in mind as the model was being published Franklin was leaving King's College and appears not to have done any more significant experimental work on DNA. Together with Gosling (who stayed at King's to complete his PhD) she may have been successful but she would have needed Watson's luck at having a chemist nearby who knew what chemical form of the bases was appropriate, and to make use of Chargaff's "rules". She would have needed to realize that the two sugar phosphate backbones run in opposite directions (apparently almost immediately obvious to Crick from the crystal data but not to Franklin) and she would have needed to build models - something she was not in favor of doing. Could she have done it in three weeks, maybe, three months, possibly. EXCEPT, she was leaving, moving on, leaving behind DNA which at that point was still only a model, albeit a biologically appealing model. The most important aspect of Franklin's story is that there is no evidence that she had Watson's unfailing belief that the structure would be the holy grail of biology. The most significant aspect of Watson's crusade was that he was never seriously sidetracked by others who wanted to restrict his interest. Rosalind Franklin was a strong-willed individual and an excellent scientist and if either Sayre or Maddox had provided me with evidence that she truly knew the potential significance of her work then I would more easily believe that she would have been determined to complete the structure, but the evidence is not there. When she voluntarily left King's College she left the prize behind.

5 out of 5 stars The True Story of the Double Helix.......2002-07-26

When I first read Watson's "Double Helix" there were a few things that bothered me. First, it is clear that this guy was really full of himself- that's OK, maybe he's entitled, but his view of science as an exercise in cunning, of "beating others in the race", finding out what they were doing but keeping your results close to your vest, was so at odds with the prevailing view of science and ethics that Harvard University Press refused to publish it. And of course, what seemed to be continual derogatory references to Rosalind Franklin and her family- "Rosy has to go". How in the world could Watson call for the firing of somebody working in another Laboratory many miles away?

Of course, Rosalind Franklin had died by that time and couldn't defend herself.

But as an experimental physicist, I could not understand Watson's fixation on large tinkertoy models. After all,the data supporting such a structure has to be obtained elsewhere, from physics experiments like x-ray diffraction. And Anne Sayre's book explains this to the popular reader.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about all this is the support she received from Max Perutz and Aaron Klug, among others.

Klug and Franklin were the first to determine the structure of a virus (just before her death). She never knew that a few years before, Wilkins, also at Kings College, had given her experimental results to Watson, allowing him to obtain the correct structure for DNA.

Aaron Klug won the Nobel Prize in 1982. On June 25, 1997, he dedicated the new Rosalind Franklin Laboratory at Birkbeck College in London

...
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of Dna
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of Dna
    Brenda Maddox
    Manufacturer: HARPER COLLINS
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0002571498
    Rosalind Franklin And the Structure of Life (Profiles in Science)
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      Jane Polcovar
      Manufacturer: Morgan Reynolds Publishing
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Library Binding

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      Rosalind Franklin
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        Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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          Rosalind Franklin and DNA.
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Rosalind Franklin and DNA.
            Rosalind] SAYRE, Anne. [FRANKLIN
            Manufacturer: W.W. Norton
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000WGC0AK
            ROSALIND FRANKLIN The Dark Lady of DNA
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              ROSALIND FRANKLIN The Dark Lady of DNA
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              Manufacturer: Harper Collins Publishers
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              ASIN: 0965477886
              Rosalind Franklin. The Dark Lady of DNA.
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Rosalind Franklin. The Dark Lady of DNA.
                Rosalind] MADDOX, Brenda. [FRANKLIN
                Manufacturer: Harper Collins
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                Rosalind Franklin: the Dark Lady of Dna
                Average customer rating: Not rated
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                  Brenda Maddox
                  Manufacturer: HarperCollins
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                  Binding: Hardcover
                  ASIN: B000NR95NS

                  Leaving the Wilderness
                  Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                  • absolutely wonderful
                  • Leaving the Wilderness
                  • Still I Rise
                  • Superb!!!!!!
                  • Free to be Me
                  Leaving the Wilderness
                  Tonya Blount
                  Manufacturer: Dunamis Publications
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  Visionary FictionVisionary Fiction | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
                  MetaphysicalMetaphysical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
                  ASIN: 0972455302

                  Book Description

                  Ms. Blount's protagonist, Jordan Baez is a beautiful and talented woman, married eleven years to Franklin Baez with whom she has three children. Jordan endures many tragedies, yet her astonishing determination to survive and succeed allows her to bend, but not to break.

                  Walk alongside Jordan on her journey, a journey that is reflected in the lives of many women past and present. Take part in revelations, which have forged an iron will, one so necessary to survive, no woman should be without!

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars absolutely wonderful.......2005-06-07

                  I was a little hesitant in purchasing this book and I was pleasantly surprised at what a gifted writer this woman is. Can't wait to the sequel!!

                  5 out of 5 stars Leaving the Wilderness.......2003-08-05

                  From a man's point of view, after hearing the basic idea and theme of Leaving the Wilderness, I didn't think I would enjoy it. So, after buying it for my wife and her not reading it, I picked it up one day, much to my delight, and I could not put it down. Another reviewer said that this is a book that "every woman should read" and I TOTALLY DISAGREE. THIS IS A BOOK THAT EVERYONE SHOULD READ! Your emotions will range from happiness, sadness, anger, etc., etc. You will love this book, I PROMISE!

                  4 out of 5 stars Still I Rise.......2003-06-10

                  Author and poet, Tonya Blount unfolds the story of a young woman's journey for self-love and restoration in Leaving The Wilderness. For eleven years, Jordan Baez has endured physical, verbal and mental abuse at the hands of her malicious husband, Franklin. When a night of unbridled passion, precipitated by Franklin's drunken state, evolves into sexual assault, another member of the Baez family is conceived and Jordan's disdain for her husband begins. Torn between hatred for Franklin and love for her children, Jordan must decide if she will remain in a contemptible marriage or abandon Franklin and his callous nature for good.

                  Tonya Blount has illustrated an unforgettable and emotive female protagonist in Leaving The Wilderness. Ms. Blount's poetic writing style is both fluid and enchanting allowing readers to empathize with the main character. I would have liked to read more about Jordan's rediscovery of self as she mends the broken pieces of her life. Nevertheless, Ms. Blount's debut novel will speak to women in the midst of their wilderness experience and serve as a testimony to those who have been stripped of their self-worth. A must read for men and women alike.

                  Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
                  APOOO BookClub

                  5 out of 5 stars Superb!!!!!!.......2003-03-10

                  Author :Tonya Blount, Novel: "Leaving the Wilderness"

                  "Leaving the Wilderness" was ingeniously written It discloses how an abusee overcame many dire impediments and triumphantly rised above it all.
                  Revenge wasnt the storyline in Blounts novel. Eventhough she battled several diverse worlds: Good verses Evil; Love verses Hate; Emotions verses Spiritual.
                  She ensured us that her lessons were well erudite. By allowing us to walk candidily with her to that spiritual intercession . Where she discovered she found her place of counterpoise.: Her Lord and Savior!
                  As a reader , I'd like to applaud and thank Ms.Tonya Blount, for showing myself. That if we keep God first and believe with all our hearts.. That we too, can obviate any stumbling blocks in ones life. While holding steadfast to faith; We too can avoid our pitfalls along the way. But we must believe!
                  As i conclude with (Psalms 23:4..... "Yea, though i walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, Your rod and Your staff, will comfort me.)

                  5 out of 5 stars Free to be Me.......2002-12-12

                  This novel was great! It made me feel as though I am not alone. I experienced similar circumstances and I used to feel stupid and alone. But through reading this book, I found that I am not the only woman who has experienced the degrading, jealous hatred from a male counterpart. More than anything this book was not just about the abuse but how it was overcome. When you have faith and a firm belief and understanding of a higher power you will always come out on top regardless of what you are going through!! Ms. Blount I can not wait for your next novel. Jordan feels like one of my sister friends!! You go girl.
                  Wilderness Visionaries
                  Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                  • Eight men of the wild
                  Wilderness Visionaries
                  Jim Dale Vickery
                  Manufacturer: Ics Books
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

                  GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
                  Natural HistoryNatural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
                  ReferenceReference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
                  GeneralGeneral | Sports | Subjects | Books
                  ASIN: 0934802289

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars Eight men of the wild.......2002-05-06

                  Jim dale Vickery profiles eight men who championed wildlife conservation, preservation, and environmentalism: Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), John Muir (1838-1914), Robert W. Service (1874-1958), Bob Marshall (1902-1939), Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), Olaus Johan Murie (1889-1963), Calvin Rutstrum (1895-1982), and Sigurd F. Olson (1899-1982). If you're an avid nature fan yourself, you've probably read about some of these men in other books. And yet, here each chapter is more than mere biography. Vickery highlights personal details that bring these men to life again, and we see not just the individuals, but also the natural places that mattered the most to them. We hear what they had to say about those places in their own words. Coincidentally -- or, not -- each of the eight spent at least a little time in Vickery's native Minnesota, and so it is from an additional love of his own land that the author relates the stories. Writers are always advised to write what they know, and that knowledge comes through in this book. An engaging addition to the environmentalist's bookshelf. Finding a used copy is well worth the search.

                  Books:

                  1. Science Instruction in the Middle and Secondary Schools: Developing Fundamental Knowledge and Skills for Teaching (6th Edition)
                  2. Selected Papers on the Analysis of Algorithms
                  3. Single Variable Calculus: Concepts and Contexts (with Tools for Enriching Calculus, Interactive Video Skillbuilder CD-ROM, and iLrn Homework/Personal Tutor with SMARTHINKING)
                  4. Solar Observing Techniques (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)
                  5. Statistics: A Bayesian Perspective (Statistics)
                  6. Still Life with Bombers: Israel in the Age of Terrorism
                  7. Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court
                  8. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004 (The Best American Series)
                  9. The Best American Science Writing 2003 (Best American Science Writing)
                  10. The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Life in the Balance (Open Media Pamphlet Series)

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