What was it like to survive an illegal abortion, come out as a lesbian, and train to become a doctor in the late 1960s and early ’70s—before Roe v. Wade, before Title IX, and in a largely homophobic nation?

In this unflinching and riveting coming-of-age memoir, Patricia Grayhall battles sexism in a male-dominated profession. She plunges into a life that is never boring—and certainly never without passion.

Tossed around in the rough seas of medical training, chronically exhausted and emotionally drained, Patricia chafes at the toxic masculinity of the culture of medicine. She yearns for the same care and support her male colleagues receive from their wives and girlfriends. Although the sexual revolution and women’s movement in 1970s Boston celebrate female eroticism, she finds few role models for moving beyond desire to sustain a healthy, long-term relationship with a woman. Will she find the love she seeks without jeopardizing her career?

This book, named one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best 100 Indie Books of 2022, is the inspiring true story of how one woman navigates these stormy seas without signposts to reach her goals—often battered, but never broken.