<p>Anandi led a very diff erent life from other girls of the times. Her husband</p><p>wanted her to study and made sure she could attend school. At the age of</p><p>twelve, faced with a terrible loss, Anandi decided to become a doctor so she</p><p>could help others. And she wanted to do so by going to faraway United States.</p><p>Overcoming unimaginable odds, Anandibai made her way to Pennsylvania, at</p><p>one of the very few medical colleges worldwide to admit woman students.</p><p>She faced harsh criticism from people in India, and had to give a public</p><p>lecture explaining why she was going to America. As an eighteen-year-old,</p><p>she adjusted to life in an alien land and studied hard, becoming the fi rst Indian</p><p>woman to get a medical degree in the US.</p><p>Anandibai Joshee faced terrible physical abuse, ill health, and discrimination,</p><p>yet she remained calm and graceful. In this biography, her life and times come</p><p>alive-her ambition, the stories of other pioneering women like her, and</p><p>how she spoke up about the equality of men and women. Her story remains a</p><p>beacon of hope for every girl everywhere.</p>