When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan; ill. by Brian Selznick Scholastic Press, 2002 40 pages I'm not sure when I first heard of Marian Anderson, the legendary black American contralto--probably in high school, when my younger sister started studying opera. But I remember being instantly fascinated by this photo of her performance at the … Continue reading “A matter of exultant pride to any race”*
What Little Girls are Made of
A Christmas Like Helen's by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, ill. by Mary Azarian 2004: Houghton Mifflin Company 32 pages Christmas always puts me in a historical frame of mind. From soon after Thanksgiving until past Epiphany, stories and trivia and memories flow constantly through my mind like a silent soundtrack to everything I do. I think about … Continue reading What Little Girls are Made of
Put It in Writing: Inspiration from letters, historic and otherwise
Women's Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present ed. Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler Dial Press, 2005 824 pages Several years ago, I worked as a book reviewer for the local newspaper. Every few weeks, I dropped by the paper's downtown office and browsed through a small room full of soon-to-be-published books. … Continue reading Put It in Writing: Inspiration from letters, historic and otherwise
Read Like a Girl 