self-realization in women

Fascinated with America, young Saba Hafezi of 1980s Iran becomes convinced that her suddenly missing mother and twin sister have departed for America without her, a situation that compels her to envision her twin's Western life throughout subsequent years.

Years after losing her mother in a car accident that rendered her father emotionally distant, Rachel resolves to escape from an abusive marriage to protect her young daughter.

Consulting firm vice president and mother of three Sarah Nickerson is forced to give up some control over her life when she is in a car accident and suffers a traumatic brain injury, and, as she tries to regain her independence, she also realizes that happiness and success may not be about having the perfect career and a lot of money.

Thirty-six-year-old Kate Cavanaugh, a mother of two and recently widowed, works as a guidance counselor for the at-risk students at Alan B. Shepard High School, but amidst the troubles that haunt Kate at home, tragedy strikes at school and forces her to reach her breaking point.

When a sudden, shocking event strikes Rosemary Cooke's family, they are each affected and changed by it. As she struggles through the reality of the situation, she must also learn what it means for her personally as well as those she cares about.

Nineteen-year-old Maya Nidal has grown up with her grandparents. Her grandmother is a force of nature--willful, outspoken, wise, and fiercely protective. Her African American grandfather, an astronomer and professor, is a gentle man with a comforting presence. When her grandfather dies, Maya falls apart and turns to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime. Lost in a dangerous underworld she is rescued by her grandmother who helps her escape to a remote island off the coast of Chile.