(The Hearts of Gold Trilogy, Book 2)
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My
protagonist, Kitty Winthrop, is pursuing a nursing career when the Pandemic Flu
of 1918 hits New York City. In 1918, seeking a career in medicine, for a woman,
was incredibly more difficult.
Elizabeth
Blackwell, the first female physician in the United States, moved from England
to America at the age of eleven. The daughter of social reformer Samuel
Blackwell, Mr. Blackwell ensured his daughters, as well as his sons, received a
fine education.
The
interesting thing is that Elizabeth didn’t originally desire to become a
physician. It was only after attending the deathbed of a dear friend, who sadly
stated that she would “have fared better if she’d had a lady doctor,” that
Elizabeth sought entrance to medical school.
In
Philadelphia, Elizabeth applied to four medical colleges and all four rejected
her. A professor at one school suggested
she disguise herself as a man. Still another advised her to go to Paris to
study. But she had no intention of doing either.
Elizabeth wrote: “It was to my mind a moral crusade on which I had entered, a course of justice and common sense, and it must be pursued in the light of day, and with public sanction, in order to accomplish its end.”
She widened her search and Geneva Medical College, in upstate New York, accepted her by vote. But it wasn’t the faculty that encouraged her but rather the male student body! They adopted a resolution in October of 1847 stating in part that:
“To every branch of scientific education the door should be open equally to all; that the application of Elizabeth Blackwell to become a member of our class meets our entire approbation; and in extending our unanimous invitation we pledge ourselves that no conduct of ours shall cause her to regret her attendance at this institution.”
What progressive and far-seeing young men for their time!
Elizabeth graduated in 1849 and went on to found a hospital for indigent women and children and a medical college for women.
My character, Kitty, is similar to Elizabeth Blackwell in that both Kitty’s parents encouraged education for their daughter, as opposed to most families at that time, who felt that only boys should be educated.
Almost seventy years after Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to obtain a medical degree, prejudice against female physicians still existed. Compared to today, when most graduating classes from medical school are split 50-50 between men and women, a female physician in 1918 still had to put up with condescension and disdain, and the prevailing notion that there was something “wrong” with her because she wanted to enter a “man’s field.”
Those early female pioneers had to work twice as hard as their male counterparts did. But they persevered and began a long line of illustrious, successful, and dedicated physicians who accomplished amazing things.
Rosalind Franklin, remembered for her DNA studies which aided in the discovery of DNA’s double helix.
Virginia Apgar, known as the inventor of the Apgar score, which assessed newborns immediately following birth and helped lower infant mortality.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, who pioneered research that led to the development of the five stages of death, or as we know it today, the Kubler-Ross model.
Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel to space.
Mary Edwards Walker, the only female surgeon who took care of injured soldiers during the American Civil war. I bet she had some stories to tell! Maybe I will look at her life and write a book about her!
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| About the Book |
Series: The Hearts of Gold Trilogy, Book 2
Author: Renee Yancy
Publication Date:
28th June 2022
Publisher: Vinspire
Page Length: 345 Pages
Genre: Historical Romance
A young woman refuses to become a pawn in her grandmother’s revenge scheme and forgoes a life of wealth and royalty to pursue a nursing career as America enters WWI and the Pandemic Flu of 1918 wreaks havoc in New York City.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bQPlGd
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Precious-Than-Renee-Yancy-ebook/dp/B0B2ZQXTHV
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/More-Precious-Than-Renee-Yancy-ebook/dp/B0B2ZQXTHV
Amazon CA:
https://www.amazon.ca/More-Precious-Than-Renee-Yancy-ebook/dp/B0B2ZQXTHV
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/more-precious-than-gold-renee-yancy/1141594321
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/more-precious-than-gold-4
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/gb/book/more-precious-than-gold/id6442926646
About Renee Yancy
Renee Yancy is a history and archaeology nut who works as an RN when she isn’t writing historical fiction or traveling the world to see the exotic places her characters have lived.
A voracious reader as a young girl, she now writes the kind of books she loves to read—stories filled with historical and archaeological detail interwoven with strong characters facing big conflicts. Her goal is to take you on a journey into the past so fascinating that you can’t put the story down.
When she isn’t writing, Renee can be found in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband and a rescue mutt named Ellie. She loves flea markets and collecting pottery and glass and most anything mid-century modern.
Social Media Links
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BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/renee-yancy
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Renee-Yancy/e/B00726MJDQ
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5754717.Renee_Yancy
Twitter Handle: @YancyRenee @maryanneyarde
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Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule Page:
https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2022/02/blog-tour-more-precious-than-gold.html
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Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
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