Fannie Lou Harris is a dreamer. As a young African American girl sharecropping with her family in rural North Carolina, she dreams of becoming a doctor. But after migrating north to New York City, Fannie finds that academic success is no small feat growing up in the Rosa Parks Housing Projects in the South Bronx. Despite the odds, young Fannie Lou learns to do well in school, stand up for her beliefs, and - smoke! After putting forth much effort, she finally gains admission to medical school where she meets a cast of colorful and comical characters. The tough times have just begun, when Fannie Lou finds herself falling in love, working to master the rigorous medical school curriculum, struggling to quit smoking and learning to take care of her patients. When her medical school faces the budget cutting ax, and is threatened with closure, Fannie Lou faces her greatest challenge. She and her buddies take on political corruption and the tobacco industry, in an effort to save their school and Fannie finds out for the second time, that doing the right thing can sometimes get you into serious trouble.
About the Author: Jewel Loretta Crawford, MD is a family physician who is now working in public health and teaching at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine and received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. Dr. Crawford is a native New Yorker and attended the Bronx High School of Science. After medical school Dr. Crawford worked for the New York City Health Department South Bronx district. She then relocated to Portland, Oregon to study at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. She opened her primary care family practice clinic, Optimum Family Health Clinic, in Portland where she practiced for thirteen years before moving to Atlanta, Georgia to work in environmental public health. Dr. Crawford is an environmentalist and a social justice activist. She is committed to working for a single payer health care system for the United States, paid out of our taxes, where health care would be rendered without charge. She is a contributing author to the book on African American reparations, "Should America Pay?" edited by Dr. Raymond Winbush and published by Harper-Collins. "Can't Lose This Dream" which was originally written as a screenplay, is her first novel. Her interest are varied and include writing poetry and children's books, meditation, yoga, astrology, dream interpretation, baking and gardening. For fun she enjoys swimming and cycling with her grandson Jnani, dancing, travel and relaxing at the beach. She is the mother of two adult children, Sekou, a former NASA engineer who is now pursuing alternative energy solutions, and Bobbie Jewel a future psychologist, soon to graduate from Clarke-Atlanta University. She is also grandmother to Jnani Sekou, who will soon be a seventh grader. Dr. Crawford's greatest hopes and highest aspirations are for the world's youth, She dreams to see them living in a nonviolent, peaceful world; healthy, happy and attaining the highest level of academic, personal and spiritual achievement needed to develop their God-given talents.