FITHIAN PRESS Slam the Door Gently Opens The Doors For Women Amid contemporary stories of rampant sexual harassment in the military and sexual inequality for women, Slam the Door Gently--The Making and Unmaking of a Female Scientist tells an important autobiographal story of a woman with a passion to work in a field which, in the early to mid-1900s, was dominated by men. Drawn to the biological sciences from an early age, Ruth Ann Bobrov feasted on study. Yet she had to strive through her entire education not only to overcome the age-old, built-in resistance of the male dominated system, but also had to stand up against her parents' Jewish Orthodoxy which opposed a female's desire for anything other than domesticity and children. During her doctoral studies she was the only woman student in her department, surrounded by insensitive, sexist men, and at the end of her formal studies, was denied the professorship she so fervently sought. In spite of the book's most important thrust--a cry for fair, equal treatment for women in the sciences, the academic world, and the world in general--this book is not primarily devoted to complaint. There is much positive celebration in the story, including memories of growing up in a warm Jewish family, in a Jewish neighborhood steeped in Jewish tradition, and with the love of learning she received from her father and grandfather. Not understanding that studying and learning were exclusively male priveleges, Ruth was drawn early and passionately to the fields of biology, botany,and, later, mycology. Strong patriotism and love of her people Israel led her to leave Columbia and join the Navy to fight Nazism during World War II. The two most important, positive developments occur at the conclusion of the book. First is the inner peace that Ruth gets when she lets go of her lifelong fight to obtain a university post. The second is her loving relationship with Armando, the final man in her life, who convinces her that she is and has always been a worthy person, both as a woman and as a scientist. These two developments are no doubt linked, and have allowed her to write her story, to share her experiences with other women who in this day may face similar exclusion. About the Author Ruth Ann Bobrov Glater has a Ph.D. in Botanical Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles. She worked as a research botanist with the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District as well as at the UCLA School of Engineering. When she came to the Longevity Clinic in Santa Barbara as a patient suffering cardiovascular disease, Nathan Pritikin appointed her director of food and agriculture research in his clinic. Ruth Glater is listed in American Men of Science, as well as in Who's Who of American Women, and Dictionary of International Biography, and was a recipient of grants from the United States Public Health Service for her work identifying the effects of chemical components of smog on plant life. Ms. Glater was also a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy W.A.V.E.S during World War II. She retired from professional life in 1989. Ruth Ann Bobrov Glater lives and writes in Santa Barbara, California. Slam the Door Gently The Making and Unmaking of a Female Scientist Ruth Ann Bobrov Glater, PH.D. ISBN 1-56474-187-7 240 pages, paperback, $12.95 For ordering information, click here or phone (800) 662-8351 or order this book now!