Anderson was born in
Oak Park, Illinois, in 1938, to Catherine Anderson, a nurse, and her husband Wilbert Anderson. She graduated from
Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and then joined the
Peace Corps. While with the Peace Corps, she taught English for two years in the early 1960s in
Togo. After her time in the Peace Corps, she worked as a reporter at
The Washington Monthly starring
Michael Learned, which won an Emmy award. It was suggested that she title the book "
Scar Wars" (playing on the recent popularity of the film "Star Wars"), but Anderson stuck with the less sensationalistic title
Nurse. The nurse, nicknamed "Mary Benjamin" in the book, at the time insisted on her anonymity, and "steadfastly protected her identity". She was later identified as Mary Fish and became a lifelong friend of Anderson's. For the book, Fish received $2,000 and 5% of profits from the book, for meeting with Anderson for 60 interviews, of two to six hours each. Anderson's 1972 book
The Daughters "was a critical success and financial flop", providing her only a $2,500 advance. Anderson also had two incomplete manuscripts, one about the murder of her father in Chicago, and another about
hospice nursing. The latter book was "almost done" when Anderson died of lung cancer. ==Notes==