Alice Tobin asked Alesa Lightbourne:

Since the novel is based on a true story where is Theresa now and did she continue to teach after the Fortress? We were surprised that she left her son in the States, is that fiction. Our book club is made of New York City retired teachers. We were in agreement with Theresa, we would have closed our doors and teach the children what they needed.

Alesa Lightbourne Hi Alice,
Thanks for your question.
Yes, Theresa continued to teach, but went back to the college level. She became a professor in Singapore, and her second year there she was promoted to dean. By living frugally, she was able to recover most of the money taken by Wells Fargo.
Leaving her son proved to have been a mistake. So she brought him to Singapore with her, where he graduated from an international business school with a degree in finance. He is now the head of the data analytics department for one of Sweden's largest banks, living in Stockholm, and working on a masters degree.
The Fortress (not its real name, of course) continues to operate schools very successfully in many countries around the world, including Iraq. I considered it to be the antithesis of Western education. However, the whole concept of "good education" is very much determined by culture. Who knows? Perhaps it really is appropriate in more authoritative parts of the world -- and it was my own cultural bias that made it so difficult for me to bear.
~ Alesa

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