Finding Courage: Writings by Women

Seasoned anthologist Zahava ( Love, Struggle and Change ) collects a splendid variety of tales, some fiction, some autobiography, with the common theme of women overcoming fear. Among the diverse challenges the protagonists face are surviving a car accident, obtaining an illegal abortion, changing schools at age 10, facing old age in a nursing home or the prospect of a bleak widowhood. Some selections are excerpts from well-known books like Beryl Markham's West with the Night , others are by such established authors as Margaret Atwood and Grace Paley, but there is fresher material as well. In ``A Window on Soweto,'' Joyce Sikakane recalls her imprisonment with tough-minded clarity . Terri de la Pena's ``A Saturday in August'' shows a Chicana overcoming sexual prejudice to make a new friend at an ERA Walkathon. Female characters of all ages and backgrounds speak out here, in tones ranging from naive or inspirational to sophisticated. `` Contributors ' Notes'' include a listing of each author's work. (Nov.)