Getting Here from There

Description: This book of conversations between Margaret R. Miles and Hiroko Sakomura compares the experiences of two women who grew up in different societies, with different educations, different professions, and different religious orientations. Reflecting on the different ways in which Japanese and American societies inhibited and enabled them, these two women share their struggles, difficulties, and achievements. All of this is set in the context of one of the most radical social movements in the history of the world, as women are gaining increments of equality with men in designing and administering the institutions of public life with opportunities, dangers, and rewards. This is a moment in which a critical mass of women "want it all now," in the best sense of the phrase, seeking to preserve and reinterpret traditional values while exercising their capabilities and skills both in the home and in public life. This book is the memoir of two women's painful and joyful experiences in "getting here from there." Endorsements: "Getting Here from There affords the reader a rare opportunity to listen in on a dialogue between two women who took risks in daily life and with ideas, and who invented themselves as highly accomplished professionals. Across differences of culture, age, and vocation, Miles and Sakomura create a common ground for exploring shared values and life concerns. Their wisdom, erudition, and straight-up common sense are a profound inspiration to all of us to seek the lives we envision." -Deborah J. Haynes University of Colorado-Boulder "Margaret R. Miles and Hiroko Sakomura draw out the best in one another despite their significant differences. Their lives as professor and producer, American and Japanese, Christian and Buddhist are rich sources of well-distilled wisdom. Their shared commitments to families and selves, to work and pleasure, to substance and style, make them ideal discussion partners. How fortuitous that they found one another and how lucky for readers that they chose to share their conversations widely." -Mary E. Hunt Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) About the Contributor(s): Margaret R. Miles is Emerita Professor at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She taught at Harvard Divinity School for eighteen years and is the author of numerous books, including a memoir: Augustine and the Fundamentalist's Daughter (2011). Hiroko Sakomura has produced many exhibitions worldwide, including The Vision and Craft of Sinjo Ito (2008); Wisdom and Compassion (1997); Audrey Hepburn (1998); Noh at the Met (1993); and Salvatore Ferragamo (1998).