Powers, Janet M. 1939-

PERSONAL:

Born 1939.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Gettysburg College, 300 N. Washington St., Gettysburg, PA 17325. E-mail—jpowers@gettysburg.edu.

CAREER:

Educator and writer. Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, professor emerita of interdisciplinary studies and women's studies. Has worked with women's organizations in Haiti, South Africa, Estonia, and India.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Research grant, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2003.

WRITINGS:

Blossoms on the Olive Tree: Israeli and Palestinian Women Working for Peace, foreword by Betty A. Reardon, introduction by Elise Boulding, Praeger (Westport, CT), 2006.

Author's work has been translated into Arabic and French. Contributor to periodicals.

Contributor to periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Janet M. Powers has combined her interests in peace studies and women's studies in her book Blossoms on the Olive Tree: Israeli and Palestinian Women Working for Peace. The author made five trips to the Middle East between 2002 and 2005, and her book provides stories and essays about Israeli and Palestinian women of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths who are committed to a peaceful resolution of the troubles between the two countries primarily through grassroots efforts. The author also writes about how these women are educating themselves and their societies about issues such as militarization, the democratic process, human rights, and women rights. Including women's life histories and testimonials, the author writes about women who led peace organizations, women who have experienced the violence of conflict, and women who have sought to directly influence the political process of securing peace in the region. A Reference & Research Book News contributor noted that the author also provides "a personal account of how an American woman perceived [these] women." Elizabeth R. Hayford, writing in the Library Journal, referred to Blossoms on the Olive Tree as "a humane and moving presentation of women managing to work with courage and optimism for a better world."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Choice, February, 2007, L. Beck, review of Blossoms on the Olive Tree: Israeli and Palestinian Women Working for Peace, p. 1064.

Library Journal, June 15, 2006, Elizabeth R. Hayford, review of Blossoms on the Olive Tree, p. 88.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2006, review of Blossoms on the Olive Tree.