Crossing the Burning Sands

What really happened in Washington? friends asked. Unable to return to those disturbing days, Pamela Sherrod dodged the question for several years, letting her past remain a secret. Initially, she thought her strange habit of stumbling into bizarre incidents was merely coincidental. How else could one explain it? She'd camouflaged her troubled life with the trappings of success. She endured hazing to pledge the right sorority; secured the right internship at the Capitol for a closer view of power; and when she landed a job at ABC News, she put her life in jeopardy for an assignment on the right show. She dated a Saudi Arabian diplomat, befriended the children of powerful officials, and even hung out with Senate staffers who were investigated for involvement with Soviet and Cuban spies. When she married an engineering student from Asia, they looked like a contemporary version of The King and I. But, who knew the true motives of a strong-willed, middle-class, Afro-American woman, and a privileged preppie from one of Sri Lanka's highest castes? Why me? she asked of God, after the fairy tale crumbled and the dust finally settled. Why did I have to experience these things? journey toward truth, and the stunning secret that she eventually discovered.