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ALUMNI AUTHORS
The son of author Laura Sook Duncombe (L’11) steals the show at her book-signing event.
Photo: Sandy Sook
Alumna celebrates the swashbuckling women of history
Laura Sook Duncombe (L’11) has been obsessed with pirates since watching Peter Pan at age 5. Growing up, she felt drawn to alternative ways of being a woman, along with questions about the nature of right and wrong. These interests converge in her latest book, A Pirate’s Life for She: Swashbuckling Women Through the Ages.
The narrative collection spans time and space, from Norse princess Alfhild to Muslim ruler and pirate queen Sayyida al-Hurra, to the most successful pirate in history, Cheng I Sao. It explores the motivations of pirate women: revenge, escape, glory, adventure, and power. These historical figures took up piracy for different reasons, with a unifying desire for a better life.
“Every woman I know has been told at some point in her life, ‘this is a male-only space,’ whether implicitly or explicitly,” Duncombe says. “Pirates are relatable because we’ve all felt the desire to have something that we’ve been told we cannot have. These women said, ‘I’m gonna take it.’ I think that’s admirable—not the methods, but why they did what they did. We could all take a lesson from their courage, if not from their swashbuckling.” In writing this book, Duncombe consumed official historical accounts with a grain of salt. She pored through archives in the Library of Congress and scoured the internet for songs and stories about female pirates. Considering that history is often written by the powerful, Duncombe advises readers to consider the source and the agenda behind every story. “These women were used as tools by ruling class men, as cautionary tales,” Duncombe says. “Historians were twisting the stories for their own ends. When you’re listening to a story, you should see why that person is telling that story. It’s important to examine the biases of your storyteller, because none of us is without bias.”
Duncombe’s critical thinking served her well in her legal career. As a student at Georgetown Law, Duncombe sought to be a public defender, so she joined the Juvenile Justice Clinic, where she worked to preserve justice for children who admitted to wrongdoing.
“It was a matter of treating them fairly,” she says. “The justice system is stacked against minorities and people in poverty. That experience made me think about the relative nature of good and bad in an adversarial law system.” In her research as a writer, Duncombe sees a link between socioeconomic inequality and piracy. “Everyone is a product of their circumstances,” she says “Desperate people make choices that we wouldn’t necessarily agree with. You don’t become a pirate if you have another, better option.” Duncombe celebrates the enduring appeal of pirate narratives. “Everybody wants to be able to choose their own path,” she says. “You cannot put a dollar value on one’s freedom.” •
—Kate Colwell
Hoya author recommends vitamin D in book series
When Susan Rex Ryan (SLL’75) retired from the federal government, she never expected to write one book, let alone five. But her career as a writer began when she started feeling fatigued with muscle aches and joint pain. ”I felt terrible,” she recalled. “Just doing a load of laundry seemed like a big job.” When conventional treatments didn’t help, she decided to investigate on her own, attending medical conferences and seminars, and reading medical journals. After a simple blood test, she learned that she was suffering from vitamin D deficiency.
Further investigation led her to numerous scientific studies that showed a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and a variety of illnesses and conditions, including arthritis, muscle aches, and chronic pain. Ryan’s research led her to still other studies that associate vitamin D deficiency with aging, cancer, even the common cold. After she began taking a vitamin D3 supplement, she found that her symptoms disappeared. “Vitamin D cannot be patented, so it isn’t a corporate moneymaker,” Ryan says. “It felt like I learned a secret that really needs to be shared, so I wrote Defend Your Life.” Her first book led to the writing of two additional vitamin D books that review medical research in language that lay readers can understand.
Her latest book, inspired by the pandemic, explores the role of vitamin D and immunity, with a focus on contagious respiratory illnesses. For example, a 2021 study by University of Florida researchers found that COVID-19 patients with vitamin D deficiency were 4.6 times more likely to test positive for the illness than patients without it. U.S. researcher Dr. William B. Grant concluded “severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 severity and fatal outcome.” Another 2021 study concluded that low vitamin D is a “predictor rather than just a side effect of the infection.” Her other self-help books delve into topics ranging from what to expect from cataract surgery to DNA’s role in depression. •
—Patti North
Photo: Courtesy of Susan Rex Ryan
Susan Rex Ryan (SLL’75) started writing self-help after her retirement from the U.S. government, where her service included leading non-proliferation efforts for nuclear and chemical weapons security.
