I learned about the book when my friend economist Mary Barcella alerted me months ago that it was coming out in March.  Her daughter  Laura had convinced a number of other successful writers to join her in a collection of stories about Madonna’s influence on their lives.  I’ve met Laura and I knew this would be no star-struck ode.  She’s a strong-minded freelance writer based in San Francisco who specializes in pop culture, lifestyles, feminism, and music.  I sensed this collection would offer a great insight into the mindset of today’s serious young women.

It also challenged my own ambivalence about Madonna.  By the time the Material Girl appeared on the pop music  scene in the early ’80s, I was a young professional in the New York book publishing world, excited by all the possibilities unfolding for women.   I was intrigued by Madonna, especially since she came from my home state of Michigan, but the feminist, trailblazing women I most admired then were more likely to be novelists, journalists and business or political leaders, rather than rock stars.  Just a month ago, I admit I didn’t know what to expect from Madonna’s half-time performance at the Super Bowl, which proved her lasting star power by drawing almost as much attention as the upset by the New York Giants.  Madonna is clearly an on-going cultural force to be reckoned with — on an international level, no less.  She wears her 50s well.

This collection reveals the impact Madonna had on so many young girls, showing  how her bold music and “life without regrets” helped them escape what is often an agonizingly painful trip through their school years and even beyond. You can read an excerpt written by Laura Barcella on “How the Queen of Pop Saved Me from Choosing the Wrong Guy” on the Huffington Post at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-barcella/madonna-and-me-queen-of-pop_b_1323630.html

Her attention then was drawn to Washington DC and the little-known drama behind the Mona Lisa’s tumultuous voyage to this country in 1963.  First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy played a critical role in the painting’s successful debut at the National Gallery and the Met — an 88-day visit that forever changed America’s relationship with high art.  The publication of Mona Lisa in Camelot brought Marnie into the national spotlight a few years ago when it was featured in Vanity Fair and on “Good Morning America.”

Marnie has now been invited to speak at the New York Public Library on how the unprecedented, perilous loan of da Vinci’s masterpiece turned was turned by the First Lady into a powerful Cold War symbol of Western ideals . Now that Jacqueline Kennedy is in the headlines again with the release of her historic conversations with Arthur Schlesinger, don’t miss this chance to hear first-hand a riveting account about this First Lady’s diplomatic genius.

New York Public Library: An Art Book: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and the 1963 Exhibition of Mona Lisa.  Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum, Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 6 – 8 p.m.  FREE – doors open at 5:30pm. First come, first served.

http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2011/10/19/art-book-first-lady-jacqueline-kennedy-and-1963-exhibition-mona-lisa

I met Hiroko when we served on a Board  together for the Los Angeles chapter of a state-wide organization called Women in Business. At the time, she was an executive in the LA office of Dai-Ichi Kangyo, a Japanese Bank, and I was a partner in a woman-owned business that  specialized in public relations for community based businesses and non-profits.  Hiroko was a very dedicated volunteer. We enjoyed sharing storiesabout our families.  She was the youngest of six daughters.  I was also the youngest, with two older brothers – while  my parents were from large farm families where my mother was one of six children and my father one offifteen. I know what it is like to have a large extended family.

Hiroko was eventually promoted to her bank’s Board of Directors, becoming the first woman to attain that level at a Japanese Bank.  Yet Hiroko was very self-effacing about her achievements.  Above all, she wanted to encourage more of her countrywomen to aspire to leadership roles.  She eventually left the bank to start a pan-Pacific non-profit called GOLD –Global Organization for Leadership and Diversity (http://www.goldleaders.org/).  GOLD is an organization dedicated  to developing global women leaders and building bridges across the Pacific. She has received many honors for her international efforts.

As  the world’s eyes focus  on Japan in its hour of tragedy, I hope we will remember our commonalities and use this time to strengthen our bonds of friendship.  Hiroko is leading the way.

I’ve been through enough bad economies on both coasts to know the experts don’t have crystal balls.  How many predicted accurately in the boom times that the excesses of the market would lead to such worldwide havoc?  And if we look back a year from now, how many would have been accurate on the rate of recovery?

The answer is that it is the strength and optimism of the American culture that keeps pulling us out of the latest disaster.  For me, the secret to that optimism has been involvement in my Brooklyn community and in organizations like NAWBO-NYC, Team Women and Connecting to Greatness, whose leaders are forging ahead with entrepreneurial zeal.  Their energy keeps refueling my own enthusiasm.

For more inspiration, I suggest reading a few books to keep your eye on the future, not riveted on the current headlines.

Black and White Strike Gold by Sandi Webster and Peggy McHale is “the essential manual for creating and running a successful business,” and includes a brutally honest look at the daily trials, tribulations and–oh yes, the joys–of being a small business owner.  The Fearless Factor: Overcome the Fears, Doubts, and Anxieties that Stop you from being your Best Self Now by Jacqueline Wales, shows you how to turn off your fear and turn on the confidence.  Laughter, Tears, Silence: Expressive Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Open Your Heart by Pragito Dove is “full of rich lessons in the nature of living a great life.”

Now smile!