Sara Paretsky

Kate Watson (Cardiff University)
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Born in 1947 in Ames, Iowa, Sara Paretsky spent her early life in Lawrence, Kansas. Part of a Jewish family, she was the only daughter out of five children, and was assigned a stereotypically female place and role within the household. P. D. James has noted that

Both [of her] parents were well educated and highly intelligent, both actively worked for social justice, but paradoxically kept their only daughter in emotional and educational subjection. From the age of seven she baked for her father and brothers every Saturday, cleaned the house and was a nanny to the younger boys. The sexual discrimination extended from major parental decisions to petty restrictions. (James)

Both [of her] parents were well educated and highly intelligent, both actively worked for social justice, but…

1379 words

Citation: Watson, Kate. "Sara Paretsky". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 April 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12084, accessed 29 March 2024.]

12084 Sara Paretsky 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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