Cynthia Strauff

A Life, APart Cynthia Strauff

Claire Mueller is of the generation of Abzug, Friedan, and Steinem. She will tell you, if you ask, that her career presented itself without plan, strategy. Chance, she will say. It was chance, and taking advantage of opportunities that presented themselves, a solid work ethic, and a vocabulary that leads people to think that she is smarter than she really is. That is what she believes. A Life, APart tells Claire's story, her journey from naïve daughter to world-damaged adult. It chronicles her career, her friendship with Naomi, an unconventional, drug-dealing free-spirit who provides support and inspiration, and her unconventional love affair with Viktor, the soul-damaged, East European war refugee, who accompanies her on her final journey. Grounded in historical fact, Claire's story is that of one woman working in the man's world of the 1950s and 1960s, before feminism became a byword. It is a character study, of Claire, and those flawed, authentic individuals who helped shape her life.