Book Reviewer, Public Speaker, Writer

JAN STANFORD GURLEY

Currently Reviewing:

Daughter of the Desert: The Remarkable Life of Gertrude Bell
by Georgina Howell

The daughter of a wealthy British industrialist, Gertrude turned her back on the world of the traditional young Victorian woman to read History at Oxford, taking a First. Then her self education began, leading to the mastery of the Arabic and Persian languages, archeology, photography, and mapping the Arabian Desert. Her matchless expertise recognized by the British government, following the First World War she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.

Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie by Barbara Goldsmith

Long celebrated as a scientific genius who overcame poverty and gender discrimination to win two Nobel Prizes for her work on radium, Marie Curie was a passionate, curious and all-too-human woman who broke other barriers as well. The author of this new biography drew on newly-released diaries and letters and interviews with family members, including Mme. Curie’s daughter and granddaughter, to portray fully the life of this inspirational woman whom she characterizes as “rare as a unicorn in the field of science.”

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell

Six outlandish, sophisticated, and gifted daughters of an eccentric British peer, whose famous and infamous exploits, beginning in the early part of the 20th century, spanned the British Isles and the continents of Europe and North America.

A long-time student of history through the reading of biographies and autobiographies, Jan presents lively interpretations of the lives and times of these remarkable characters.

To book a program with Jan please contact her at:

or 214.360.0803