Julia Sneden
Julia Sneden was a writer, friend, wife, mother, Grandmother, care-giver and Senior Women Web's Resident Observer. Her career included editorial work for Sunset Magazine, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios as well as teaching. Julia was a passionate opponent of this country’s educational system, which she felt was floundering. She will be greatly missed as the heart of this website and this editor's friend of fifty years.
Julia Sneden's archive of articles.
A Convoluted Journey of Discovery - Book Review: The Hare With Amber Eyes
"How objects are handed on is all about story-telling. I am giving you this because I love you. Or because it was given to me. Because I bought it somewhere special. Because you will care for it. Because it will complicate your life. Because it will make someone else envious. There is no easy story in legacy. What is remembered and what is forgotten? There can be a chain of forgetting, the rubbing away of previous ownership as much as the slow accretion of stories. What is being passed on to me with all these small Japanese objects?" more »
Reviews of Two Books by Elizabeth Edwards: Resilience and Saving Graces
Who could not admire Elizabeth Edwards? Mother of a dead teenager, cancer patient and political spouse; each role a burden. But when word of her husband’s unfaithfulness hit the news, I wondered why thoughtful and intelligent Elizabeth Edwards would dign… more »
CultureWatch, November Edition
Although Addams hoped for independence and a medical school education, graduation from Rockford sent her into the waters of duty, tragedy, and a nervous breakdown. In compelling narrative Knight spells out these events. More critically, she places Jane’s illness in the context 1880s medical and moral thinking including Jane’s belief "that she lacked the goodness of character to be truly self-denying." more »
CultureWatch, October 2010
"When I had finally finished The Master of Hestviken, I could hardly bear the realization that it wouldn’t be waiting by my chair of an evening, with yet another chapter to read. Great books are like great loves — delicious while they last, but when they… more »