Seeking Sanctuary | A Conversation About the Resilience of Women
In our September 30, 2021 program we meet three authors writing about “Seeking Sanctuary,” which showcases the resilience of women in a variety of circumstances, and how each book’s heroine and characters find the security of sanctuary in their own way.
Meet Tara in author Veena Rao’s, Purple Lotus, a beautiful story where Tara experiences abandonment and isolation, and ultimately finds the courage to navigate her way through complex traditions to self-awareness in today’s modern world. Along the way, Tara meets many characters who surprise and guide her as she discovers that not all people from her past have abandoned her.
When her husband is transferred, author Cindy Rasicot finds herself in Thailand for three years. Plucked completely from the world she knows, she is suddenly immersed in a culture where seeking inner peace is the norm and it stirs up some unfinished business within her. Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter’s Spiritual Quest To Thailand is Cindy’s memoir of her personal journey with Thailand’s first fully ordained Theravadin Buddhist nun, Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni. In a world away, Cindy comes to terms with past relationships, finds a spiritual mentor, and a path for herself that has lasted to this day.
In Guesthouse for Ganesha, author Judith Teitelman takes us back in time to explore the world of Esther Grunspan, who comes from a small village in Poland to the German city of Koln in 1923. She brings only a small bag of personal belongings, her talent as a tailor, a hardened heart, and a determination to find what she needs to survive. On her journey through Koln, she “meets” the Hindu God Ganesh, worshipped by millions for his ability to destroy obstacles, bestow wishes, and avenge evils. On a journey of 22-years, East meets West, and somewhere in all of that Esther’s determination and resilience help her find the sanctuary she’s desperately seeking.
Our Fourth Author
Unfortunately, author Anniqua Rana was unable to join us at the last minute.
In her book, Wild Boar In The Cane Field, she takes us on a magical journey and introduces us to Tara, abandoned at birth, and found by two mothers who live in a rural South Asian village. Raised amidst the rituals and superstitions of the village, acceptance become Tara’s inner-mantra. Follow the tender and patient adolescent voice of your narrator as she searches for herself and unravels this mystical journey through time.
Friends’ member, Joanna Broussard moderated the discussion between these talented authors. “We are all seeking sanctuary in some way - whether it’s through a physical location, a person, a period of time, or on a search deep within ourselves. It is often our resilience, as shown by these authors, that enables us to find a place of safety and peace, and satisfy our most basic needs as human beings,” says Joanna.
Please check your local library for these books, source them at your local bookseller through Bookshop.org, and on Amazon.com.