After Kilimanjaro

Author(s): Gayle Woodson

Location(s): Tanzania

Genre(s): Fiction

Era(s): Present

Dr. Sarah Whitaker, a surgical resident in Phildelphia, has always been an obedient overachiever, but she is burned out. Her fiancée prescribes a break year in Africa, doing medical research. His ulterior motive is a yen to Mount Kilimanjaro. But his funding falls through, and she embarks on the adventure alone. She falls in love with Tanzania, a land of gentle people, exotic wildlife, and stunning natural beauty, from the sands of Zanzibar to the peaks of Kilimanjaro. She is shocked for the overwhelming need for health care, the high rate of maternal mortality and the scourge of female genital mutilation. She fights against FGM and develops an experimental program to train tribal birth attendants in a remote mountain village where conditions are primitive and life is fragile. Separation takes its toll on her relationship with David and she fights against her feelings for another man. One thing is clear: If she survives, her life will never be the same.

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