Small Steps: A Physio in Ethiopia
By (Author) Julie Sprigg
Fremantle Press
Fremantle Press
25th March 2020
Australia
General
Non Fiction
Memoirs
Paperback
352
Width 140mm, Height 207mm, Spine 33mm
358g
A gripping and poignant travel memoir from a promising new writer about working as a physiotherapist in Ethiopia. As a child, Julie dreamed of being somewhere else, of making a difference. Now, she can't wait to meet the nuns she will live with and the children she will provide physiotherapy for in Ethiopia. But Julie has trouble sticking to convent rules and soon finds herself wondering how much difference a single physio can make anyway. When she takes a teaching role at a university, Julie finally feels closer to fulfilling her dreams - training Ethiopia's first physiotherapists, treating paediatric patients, and losing her heart to a handsome colleague. Then civil unrest reaches the university, forcing Julie's students to choose between their safety and their future. When it comes to being a part of change, why do all steps feel like small steps
Julie Sprigg is a Perth-based author whose debut book Small Steps- A Physio in Ethiopia was shortlisted for the 2018 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. She worked as a physiotherapist for ten years before switching to a career in foreign aid with programs improving the rights of people with disabilities. After years of regular travel to China, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Vanuatu and Ethiopia, Julie returned to Perth and now evaluates government programs to overcome social disadvantage. When not writing or working, she can be found reading a picture book atlas with her young son and delighting in domestic adventures.