WORDLY WOMAN

Theses are excerpts from the article written by MAry Stegmeir in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier on Saturday - 2-2-08.

In 1997, Nancy Harless and four other Iowa professionals spent a month living in Belize and Guatemala through a Rotary International exchange program. "I've seen poverty here in the United States, but even our poorest are rich by the standards in Guatemala and Belize," said Harless, who visited villages without running water and worked in hospitals where trash lined the hallways. "Nothing would ever be the same for me again."

The nurse immediately started planning a return trip to Belize with her husband, Norm. In 1999 the couple opened a women's clinic in Punta Gorda. And over the next nine years, she visited 15 countries, often using her trips to do service work and learn more about the world. .....

Her experiences off the beaten path are recorded in "Womankind: Connection & Wisdom Around the World." ...."If there is an overall theme to the book, I would say it is one of hope," said the retired 60-year-old. "I think the world can be changed one person at a time. That's the only way it's going to happen." .....

"I think the book appeals to people's curiosity about other cultures," said Emily Longseth, merchandising manager at Waterloo's Barnes & Noble store. "We all have challenges, and we all deal with them in different ways." .....

"One of our editors described it as an 'I am woman, hear me roar,' book," said Kyle Kent, a managing representative with Tate. "Through her stories, (Harless) talks about the connections that all women share, no matter where they live." ....

"We might speak different languages, we dress differently, we eat different foods, but at our basic core we are all alike," Harless said. "All the women in the book care about making a better life for themselves and their families."

We can read the entire article on-line at www.wcfcourier.com and search the archieves 2-2-08.