Michigan News: Beyond the Headlines

Ruth Behar: "Lucky Broken Girl"...Living her Dreams

Episode Summary

Ruth Behar is a cultural anthropologist, poet, writer, teacher and public speaker. Her books, poems and lectures reflect the passion and compassion she brings to her quest to understand the depth of the human experience. She was born in Havana, Cuba, grew up in New York City and has lived in Spain and Mexico. She returns often to Cuba to build bridges around culture, literature, art and Jewish life. In this episode, Ruth talks about how an experience she had as a 10-year-old girl changed her life. She was the first Latina to win a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was named a “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation. Ruth is the Victor Haim Perera Collegiate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. More info on Ruth's work: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ruth-behar/ More info on Rolando Estévez's work: https://apps.lib.umich.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/main