I had read and enjoyed The Submission, Amy Waldman's first novel and when the opportunity to meet her in a small group to discuss A Door in the Earth arose, I took it. This is the story of idealistic Parveen, who has just graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Anthropology and is at loose ends trying to decide what's next in her life. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, her parents emigrated to the United States when she was one year of age. Dr Gideon Crane, an ophthalmologist had traveled to Afghanistan to perform community service after being convicted of Medicare/Medicaid fraud. He built a clinic for under-served women who die at an alarming rate from complications surrounding childbearing and child birth. He wrote a memoir of his experiences in Afghanistan and Parveen has read and absorbed this book, as well as attending a lecture by Dr. Crane. Off she goes to a poor, remote village in Afghanistan to continue Dr. Crane's work. Her naivete in the beginning of the story was very hard for me to get through, and she was very self-absorbed. By the end, I found the whole story fascinating, looking at life through many different villagers' eyes. Amy Waldman was great in conversation; she is a former New York Times Reporter who was sent to Afghanistan in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and spent a number of years in that region of the world. It was a worthwhile read and a lovely evening.