Changing Course
One Woman's True-Life Adventures as a Merchant Marine

by Jeanne Marie Lutz

Jeanne Marie Lutz has reached a dead-end. Middle aged, divorced and stuck in an unsatisfying job with low pay, Lutz evaluates her life and decides to make a change. Despite the well-intentioned advice of friends, Lutz does something extraordinary—she quits her job and signs up with the Merchant Marines.

Never having been at sea, Lutz is assigned to a lowly position described as “the hardest job on the ship”—steward assistant. She is faced with male crew members who shun her because of her sex and lack of experience. When the ship encounters a perilous storm, she quickly learns to rely on her own inner strength, proves her worth and earns the respect of her ship mates.

Changing Course is several different stories in one. It is an adventure tale of a sailor who struggles valiantly against the perils of the sea as well as personal demons. It is a heroic account of a woman who fights for acceptance in an all-male environment. Most of all, it is the inspirational story of a questing spirit who chooses to live life to the fullest.

Jeanne Marie Lutz earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Kansas and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. A published author of short stories and poems she has taught at Pierce College, Pacific Lutheran University and Green River Community College. The mother of two daughters, Lutz is also a skilled painter who has exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

*July 2003 Release

A New Horizon Press Release
Contemporary Affairs/Memoir
6 x 9, 320 pages
LC #2002112730, world rights
ISBN: 0-88282-232-2 (hc)