Polymath (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780228871682)

Paulina Williams, known as Polly to friends, knew her life was unconventional. At only 14 years old, she pushed against societal norms and her own mother's expectations of a woman's place in the 1940s. She fights for a seat at schools where people do not think she belongs, and finds ways to bring her music compositions to audiences.

Feeling confined in her hometown, Polly moves to the city to further her schooling. After meeting an interesting and eclectic group of women at her boarding house, she is inspired to make her mark on the world. Polly's self doubts prove to be her greatest vice, and are the cause of some regrettable choices. Escaping an abusive relationship, unwed and pregnant, with her dissertation incomplete, Polly needs to find herself again.

Supported by a circle of courageous women and her childhood friends, Dorthey and Oliver, Polly is emboldened to continually redefine her path through career, marriage, motherhood, love and illness. Along the way her choices and tradeoffs have unexpected and recurring impacts on her until she faces the biggest challenge of her life. Spanning decades and continents, Polly never sets out to change the world, yet she inspires us to each define our own way.