The Path Beneath Her Feet
Dr. Eliza Edwards continues to “care for the defenseless and the powerless” in The Path Beneath Her Feet, the sequel to The Unlocked Path. After the closing of her practice during the Depression, Eliza dutifully follows “the path beneath her feet” to a treatment center for polio victims in Warm Springs, Georgia, and the need for medical care in the hills of Appalachia.
Eliza faces decisions regarding her family, career, and duty to her country. The worries and complexities of women as mothers and doctors of the 1930s and 1940s are authentically portrayed as Eliza takes on the challenge of becoming a therapist for a pregnant Black polio patient. Daly deftly reveals prejudice at the treatment center in Warm Springs through actions and dialogue typical of the times. Eliza’s determination and belief in her convictions are conveyed through Robinson’s handling of these tenuous social and personal situations.
Eliza’s career path leads her to Tennessee, where discerning character development and dialogue demonstrate tenacity and wisdom through Eliza’s quiet advice to gain desperately needed trust from the community. Robinson highlights the amazing work of women doctors of the American Women’s Hospitals and the building of maternity shelters in Appalachia, with an impact much like the pack horse librarians. Eliza decides whether to place responsibilities over personal satisfaction reflecting the theme of family priorities. The plot is filled with suspense and Eliza’s maternal anxiety as war looms and her sons are in harm’s way.
Follow Eliza’s path through the 1940s: Roosevelt in the Oval Office, the First Lady and Glenn Miller on the radio, Life magazine on the coffee table, and Jimmy Stewart on the big screen. The Path Beneath Her Feet, packed with emotion and history, brings the challenges and adversities of women in medicine clearly into focus.
