Well-Read Woman: Life, Loves, Legacy of Ruth Rappaport by Kate Stewart

Thanks to Nicole Andexler of Dandelion PR, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Well-Read Woman: Life, Loves, Legacy of Ruth Rappaport’ by Kate Stewart.

Description Well-Read Woman: Life, Loves, Legacy of Ruth Rappaport by Kate Stewart

The inspiring true story of an indomitable librarian’s journey from Nazi Germany to Seattle to Vietnam—all for the love of books.

Growing up under Fascist censorship in Nazi Germany, Ruth Rappaport absorbed a forbidden community of ideas in banned books. After fleeing her home in Leipzig at fifteen and losing both parents to the Holocaust, Ruth drifted between vocations, relationships, and countries, searching for belonging and purpose. When she found her calling in librarianship, Ruth became not only a witness to history but an agent for change as well.

Culled from decades of diaries, letters, and photographs, this epic true story reveals a driven woman who survived persecution, political unrest, and personal trauma through a love of books. It traces her activism from the Zionist movement to the Red Scare to bibliotherapy in Vietnam and finally to the Library of Congress, where Ruth made an indelible mark and found a home. Connecting it all, one constant thread: Ruth’s passion for the printed word, and the haven it provides—a haven that, as this singularly compelling biography proves, Ruth would spend her life making accessible to others.

This wasn’t just a career for Ruth Rappaport. It was her purpose.

Praise Well-Read Woman: Life, Loves, Legacy of Ruth Rappaport by Kate Stewart

“Stewart is frank about Rappaport’s prickly personality…Those details, coupled with more admirable qualities like curiosity and drive, serve to make her an entertaining presence. A lively, chatty exploration of a life that veered in many intriguing directions.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Stewart adeptly fleshes out the life and motivations of Rappaport…and succeeds in bringing to light a strong woman whose love of books helped inspire a life driven by purpose…Rappaport’s larger-than-life story will entrance readers.” —Library Journal

“A wonderful, nuanced portrait of a singular woman whose life, though fraught with personal trauma, persecution, and political unrest, was grounded in an abiding love for books and reading and the solace they bring. An inspiring story told with genuine affection and respect.” —Booklist

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