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"Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere -- be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost."
"Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words."
--Betty Smith ( A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943)
Is summer over already??
Many months ago some of you may remember a post called What’s on Your Summer Reading list? Throughout the summer my focus has been on classic titles. I am happy to report throughout the last few months I have been able to tackle a few big name titles such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Farewell to Arms, and The Grapes of Wrath.
I still have a few classics on my list, but I tend to get sidetracked by modern fiction so I also read She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, re-read The Time Traveler’s Wife as well as squeezing in the wonderful children’s novel The Tale of Despereaux which I picked up at Book Expo America this year. With much of my reading list completed, and summer quickly coming to a close, instead of putting my classics reading list back on the shelf I am sticking to my plan and have started reading Gone With the Wind as my last read for the summer!
Other First Book employees are finishing off the last few weeks of summer with titles such as The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke, The Forever War by Dexter Filkins and the big read around the First Book office, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! This title is still on my reading list, and I may just get to it by Christmas…any other end of summer reading recommendations?
In my ever-obsessive need to stake my claim as a Native Daughter of the lovely borough other writers now think they discovered circa 1985, I post this hip, hot essay from author Colson Whitehead as originally read in this Sunday's New York Times Book Review section:
I WRITE IN BROOKLYN. GET OVER IT. (his title, not mine)
I started reading Colson's novel JOHN HENRY DAYS and I can't remember why I put it down. It was during Springsteen's Seeger Sessions tour and I was big on learning more about the iconic John Henry, the Steel Driving legendary hero.
(I think I stopped reading more due to my Springsteen show schedule and less because of the quality of the writing. I remember the reviews. They liked it.)
statue of John Henry
In case the memo has not reached your desk yet: Brooklyn has always been cool and kind to writers. I should know. Stamping foot, pouting lips. I was there before you. So get over it. ;>
pretty little map of Brooklyn; double click to enlarge for a better view
My cordless mouse is dying so I am about to melt into the ether, like the Wicked Witch of the West. Foiled by technology. And I have no idea where the replacement batteries are. What kind of modern convenience is this?
I so wanted to write about the biography I just bought from Amazon. I could not find it in the stores. I can't wait to crack it open and fall in: it's the biography of Betty Smith, author of one of my favorite books... wait for it... A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. (Click link to browse its glorious, Brooklyn-authentic pages.) Better yet, because I don't want you to leave here without a gift, Browse Inside here (and don't say another disparaging word about Brookly bum-types again): ;}
By: Rebecca,
on 4/16/2007
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Happy Monday to everyone. I have some exciting news to share. Rachel Deahl wrote about yours truly in Publishers Weekly last week, check it out here. In other news, we are runners-up in the “Best of the Blogs” contest. Thanks to everyone who voted!
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Caroline, I LOVE this book. And I love Francie Nolan. I can identify with "Only let me be something every blessed minute." This morning, my 7th-grader was in a bad mood, and she snapped at me on the way to school. Instead of responding, I thought about the situation and just said let her be. She has every right to have a bad mood moment as anybody else. So I didn't say anything else to her for the rest of the ride. And by the time we were almost at her school, she struck up a delightful conversation. So by the time she got out of the car, her bad mood had changed to a good one. So sometimes we just need to let people be, especially our kids.
Have a great weekend, Caroline.
Linda, so well said! Your girl has an insightful mama. I've always felt like Francie and I would have been good friends (if she were a real person, that is).
She's wonderful. I also really liked Caddie Woodlawn and I really like Arya in the George R.R. Martin books.
Time to read this book again!