Hobart and William Smith in Geneva will host a virtual event Nov. 4 with former student Jianan Chen Graybill discussing her memoir about growing up during China's Cultural Revolution, leaving for the United States at 15 and building a career in medicine.
The Wednesday program runs from 7 to 8 p.m. and includes a short reading, conversation and extended question-and-answer session, according to the colleges' announcement. Registration is available through a link on that page.
“Between Worlds: One Woman's Journey from Cultural Revolution to American Dream,” published in June 2026, traces Graybill's childhood in Changchun and the challenges of starting again in another country.
A journey from China to medicine
Graybill was born into an intellectual family that faced persecution and uncertainty during Mao's Cultural Revolution. At 15, she left China alone with little money and only a few words of English, the colleges said.
The memoir follows her experience as a teenager learning a language and culture, then as a college student, medical student and physician. It explores immigration, resilience, freedom, education and medicine, including how to build a new life while maintaining a connection to an earlier one.
Graybill graduated from HWS in 1986 with majors in chemistry and mathematics and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She was a William Akira Sakow Scholar.
She earned her medical degree at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine. HWS describes her as one of the first medical students from mainland China to attend the school after the Cultural Revolution.
Book discussion includes audience questions
Graybill has spent more than 30 years in radiation oncology. She practices in Indianapolis, with expertise including breast cancer, male breast cancer and prostate cancer.
“William Smith College played a pivotal role in my life, which is an important part of this book,” Graybill said in the announcement. “It will be especially meaningful to share this story with the HWS community.”
The Nov. 4 discussion will cover the book's themes before an extended audience question-and-answer session. The colleges' announcement provides the registration link.
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