Mink’s essay in book
By Pete Pichaske
on well-known women
Phillips News ServiceWASHINGTON -- For Dan Inouye, it was "Journey to Washington," a 1967 account of his World War II heroics and subsequent political career.
For Neil Abercrombie, it was "Blood of Patriots," a 1996 suspense novel about terrorism in the nation's capital.
And now the writing bug has bitten a third member of Hawaii's congressional delegation, at least in a minor way. Patsy Mink has written a brief, personal account of how she became a politician for a collection of 22 essays by well-known American women.
The collection, "True to Ourselves: A Celebration of Women Making a Difference," was published late last year but is getting a fresh round of publicity during Women's History Month. It was reviewed last week in a Capitol Hill newspaper, and editor Nancy Neuman appeared at a book-signing here this this month and will appear at another next week.
"I'm hoping these personal accounts by a variety of women who have made contributions will inspire young people," said Neuman, a former president of the League of Women Voters who teaches college in Pennsylvania. "I wanted these women to write about turning points in their lives. I think they're all very moving."
Mink, a force in Hawaii politics for more than four decades, writes about the turning point that led her to a career in politics: her failure to get into medical school.
Her five-page account is written in an straightforward style, but not without passion and, on occasion, some wit.
Growing up in rural Maui, she writes, she had always wanted to be a doctor. But during her senior year at the University of Hawaii in 1948, she applied to about a dozen medical schools and was rejected by everyone.
"Most said they did not accept female students," she writes. "I was absolutely dumbfounded."
She turned instead to law school. After earning her degree at the University of Chicago, she returned to Hawaii to open a private practice, and, eventually, get involved in politics.
"Hawaii was undergoing a great political upheaval," she writes. "Never overwhelmed by any large number of clients, I was able to join in this crusade for change."
Mink, one of the first Asian-American woman lawyers, says her status as a lawyer helped open doors that might otherwise have been closed.
"True to Ourselves" is enjoying modest success.
About half the initial printing of 10,000 copies has been sold, says a publicist for the publisher, Jossey-Bass Publishers of San Francisco. "That's pretty good for meeting our expectations," said Adrienne Biggs. "It's a nonprofit book."
Neuman said she asked Mink to contribute because of her long career as a public servant and ties to the League of Women Voters.
