Diplomacy and Diamonds

She's been dirt poor, she's been filthy rich and declared that rich was more fun. She married 3 men, divorced 2 of them and found her true love only to lose him to cancer. Told at 21 she was dying - she wasn't and after being told she'd never have children, she had them! She's bargained with God, dictators and Democrats and partied with princes, presidents and actors, she's captivated powerful men with her feminine charm, then persuaded them toward unlikely political alliances through her formidable intelligence. She's danced with Prince Philip and smuggled herself in a barrel across the Pakistani border and survived a Soviet gunship attack in Afghanistan. Portrayed by Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War, she is far more colourful, funny and likable than any screen writer envisaged. She's known for her improbable fight with the mujahideen against the former Soviet Union but her full story - with its God, guns and Gucci glory - has never been told. Born in Texas at a time when women had limited choices, Joanne Herring blazed a trail and in so doing forged new paths for women in Pakistan, Afghanistan and America.