True North by Jill Ker Conway

Some people just seem to get a lot more done in their lives than others. Jill Ker Conway is one of the most prolific women in writing and deed that I can think of. 

I finished reading True North that was a continuation of her book about her childhood, The Road From Coorain. True North picked up after she got on the plane to attend graduate school at Harvard in the early 1960s. 

She taught history, wrote a few books, wrote her dissertation, received her PhD, and became first Vice President at the University of Toronto then became the first woman President of Smith College.

Then she began writing books full time.   


Book Read:  True North
Author:  Jill Ker Conway

The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway

I have been feeling crummy the past week. Just a nasty cold that won't go away. I think I'm getting better, but last night I decided to save the last 20 pages of The Road from Coorain and read them this morning. I love to do that with really good books--read them when I'm more alert, not ready to nod off.

The Road from Coorain is a memoir about a woman growing up in Australia. It's been around since 1989, so maybe you've read it. I'm glad I finally did. Loved it!
 
Jill Ker was born in Hillston, New South Wales, in 1934. New South Wales is the province where Sydney, Australia is located. Hillston, a blip on the map, is where her family lived; it is the Australian outback. They operated a sheep farm and had little contact with the outside world. Jill and her two brothers helped with farm duties, riding horses with their father to repair fences and herd sheep. 

When Jill was 11, her father was killed and her life changed. In many ways. Her brothers were already living away from home at boarding school. She moved with her mother to a suburb of Sydney after the farm became too much to handle without her husband for Jill's mother.

This book is a fascinating read of a super smart woman who thrived in spite of many barriers that surely stopped other women. The Road from Coorain stops when Jill leaves to attend graduate school at Harvard. She went on to graduate from Harvard with her Ph.D. and was President of Smith College for 10 years. 
 
I can't wait to read True North, the memoir that continues her story.

Book Read: The Road from Coorain

Author:  Jill Ker Conway