Q&A with children's author Carolyn Feigenbaum

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Carolyn Feigenbaum

Carolyn Feigenbaum's book for children, A Bench in London, looks at her uncle's experiences as an American soldier in London during World War II.

Q: Did your uncle often tell stories about his experiences during World War II?

A: I wish I had heard more tales from my uncle about his World War II experiences. However, after he returned home from Germany, his final post, to Chicago, he became busy starting a career, getting married, and moving to New York. During those years, my high school classes and activities, music lessons, and friends occupied my time and interests.

Q: How did you get the idea to turn your uncle's story into a children's picture book?

A: After 9/11 I knew Americans were searching for heroes.  Then in November 2001 I read my aunt's article in the New York Times about a bench in London she bought to honor the memory of her husband, my uncle, who served in the U.S. Army and was stationed for a while in London.   I thought that might make a story for children.    I liked reading and learning about her memories and action to preserve some of them and thought her story could help teach young people about some events of World War II.  

 

Also, during the years 2002-2007 I read many picture books to my grandchildren and realized how almost every experience could become subject material for a children's picture book.   So why not the story about a special bench??

Q: Did your experience as a longtime teacher help you as you were writing the book?

A: Throughout my teaching career in elementary and secondary schools, I was eager to introduce my students to wonderful stories and books from many cultures.

In addition to reading to them, guiding them to discover books to meet their interests, helping them to write their reactions to their reading, and finally leading them to write well, both narrative and creative writing--all influenced my own writing.

Q: How did you find your illustrator, Jordan Cutler, and what was the collaboration process like?

A: After searching for a while and sending inquiries to recommended artists, most of whom lived far from Maryland, I found my illustrator close to home!  Jordan Cutler is the son of good friends and neighbors of mine, Susan and Warren Cutler.  Warren, Jordan's father, is a former illustrator for the Washington National Zoo.  He had recently illustrated a children's picture book, "The Seal Pup."  At a party to celebrate this book, I chatted with Jordan and told him about my story and my need of an illustrator for the book.  He was interested and after reading the story agreed to the project.   He also designed the book and prepared it for the printer.

From the beginning of his work, he was sensitive to the story, the characters, the setting, and what I wanted to convey to the readers.   He would prepare sketches, share them with me, and then return home to make adjustments to some of the drawings and continue illustrating the next sections of the book.  (Jordan has a full time position as a graphic artist and he did the illustrations for my book after his regular work.)   He is familiar with places mentioned in the book-- Chicago, New York and London--and he used some family photos to get ideas for the characters in the book.

As you can probably conclude, it was a comfortable and satisfying collaboration between Jordan Cutler and myself.

Q: Are you thinking of writing another book?

A: I think I would enjoy another book-writing experience.  Last summer I visited the Montreal Botanical Garden.  Near the reception center is the Rose Garden, where among the paths is a memorial bench.  The inscription on the bench reads in French: "Pour Toi Grand-Maman, La Plus Rose des Roses."  Who was this special "Rose?"   If I can find out, I could write a book about her, and if not, I could create her story for a book!

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Writers of any age should consider their own family memories when looking for appropriate topics for required or free writing.   Events in our lives offer rich story-building materials.   If you keep or kept a journal, that could be a source to support your memories.   Keep talking to your relatives, especially your favorite ones, to learn about their lives and the times they knew.

Berkeley Square is a lovely small park not far from Buckingham Palace.  If you go to London, I hope you will take a few extra moments to visit it.  It is so interesting to walk on the paths and read the inscriptions on many of the benches.   In addition to the one in memory of my uncle I recall seeing one in memory of a man from Bethesda, Maryland, which is quite near my home.

And for a special treat, find a copy of the Glenn Miller recording of the wonderful ballad by Eric Maschwitz, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."  The famous singer Vera Lynn often sang it too.  It was so popular during World War II.

Please visit my website.

Interview with Deborah Kalb. (Full disclosure: I helped with the editing of this book, and have a special fondness for it!)

Nov. 21

Voltaire

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Nov. 21, 1694: French writer Voltaire born.

Q&A with writer Alexandra Zapruder

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Alexandra Zapruder

Alexandra Zapruder is the author of Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust, and the co-producer and author of the documentary film I'm Still Here.

Q: How did you first get interested in young people's diaries from the Holocaust, and when did you get the idea to turn this material into a book?

A: When I graduated from Smith College, I took a job at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was still being developed and built. As a researcher for the museum’s exhibition for young visitors, Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story, I came across a handful of diaries written by teenagers during the Holocaust. They had all been translated and published in English but were out of print. 

When I read them, I was simply overwhelmed. The writers were insightful, thoughtful, and complicated young people and their accounts of life during the Holocaust were more compelling than anything I had read up to that time. I was troubled by the idea that their diaries were every bit as meaningful, interesting, and—in many cases—beautifully written as Anne Frank’s diary, but they were totally unknown. I don’t know exactly when I got the idea to do the book, but I know that my first thought was to try to publish in a single edition just the few diaries that I had initially found. 

Then, when I made up my mind to research the subject and see if I could find more diaries, the project took on a life of its own. By the time Salvaged Pages came out, 10 years later, I had identified more than 60 diaries of teenagers. Of the 15 diaries included in the book, 10 had never been published in English before.  In the 10 years that have passed since Salvaged Pages was published, another dozen or so have surfaced and been published.

Q: People are well aware of Anne Frank's diary, which you discuss in your book, but these other diarists were more obscure. Were their diaries similar in some ways to that of Anne Frank, or did you find many differences depending on the various personalities of the teenagers involved?

A: Every diary is different, just as every young person is different. Anne Frank had an unusual, lively, and very colorful style. Other writers were more earnest or serious. Some sound very young and innocent. Others seem older than their years. Some are angry, sarcastic, or even bitter. Others alternate between hopefulness and despair. Some describe in great detail their own personal circumstances, leaving us with valuable records of the texture of daily life during the Holocaust. Others focus more on their internal lives, reflecting on relationships with loved ones, faith, and identity. Some were ambitious writers, who sketched scenes of daily life around them, chronicling the events of the Holocaust as it affected not only themselves but their communities as a whole. 

So, I would say that the diaries differ based on personality, and also circumstances. For example, diaries written by young people who were refugees are very different from those written in hiding or in ghettos. Diaries written during the Nazi takeover of power in central Europe are vastly different in tone and content from those written in Eastern Europe as the war dragged on through the early 40s. 

At the same time, there are certainly echoes across the diaries. Many young people suffered the same kinds of hardships in the form of hunger, cold, deprivation, separation from loved ones, fear, anxiety, and illness.  Many diaries reflect the moral complexities of surviving great suffering. And many writers shared the vacillation between hope and despair that characterizes so much of life during this period. So, I would say that each writer has his or her own style and voice, but there are definitely common elements that appear across the body of material as a whole.

Q: You also have been involved in a documentary film, I'm Still Here, based on the book--could you tell us more about that?

A: I was contacted in early 2000 by a director from MTV Networks named Lauren Lazin, who had heard about my work (the book had not yet been published) and who wanted to do a documentary film on the subject for young audiences. I was, frankly, a little skeptical at first. I was worried that MTV would not have the same view of the material as I did, and that they might want to make a film that didn’t treat the subject matter as seriously as I felt it required. 

However, after spending a lot of time with Lauren and her staff, I grew to trust her and have great faith in her abilities as a director. I co-produced and wrote the film, and we worked together very well. The goal of the project was to make a film that adhered as closely as possible to Salvaged Pages and that made the subject matter compelling and informative for young audiences.  We used a lot of historical photos and footage, and were able to include images of the diarists, their diaries, and in some cases, artwork they made. The film aired on MTV in 2005 and was ultimately nominated for two Emmy awards. It is now used widely in classrooms around the country. I worked closely with the brilliant educators and staff at Facing History and Ourselves, an educational nonprofit in Boston , to develop in-depth educational materials for teachers using the film in their classrooms.

Q: How difficult has it been for you personally to focus on this wrenching subject?

A: Initially, it was very difficult. I did not know much about the Holocaust when I began work at the museum and I found the information to be compelling but also hard to manage emotionally.  I found myself engulfed by the magnitude of the suffering and death, and it was hard for me to keep my bearings. When I began seriously working on research for Salvaged Pages, I became completely single-minded about it. I cringe now when I think about the fact that, for years, whether I was having coffee with a friend or at a dinner party, I hardly talked about anything else. It was totally absorbing. 

 Over time, I learned how to develop a relationship to the material that worked for me. In some ways, I think of writing about the Holocaust like approaching a savage animal.  I needed to get close enough to it to understand it, describe its contours and character, and to have compassion for its victims, but I couldn’t allow myself to get so close emotionally that it could overwhelm me. It was a delicate balance and it took time. 

I also have to say that even as painful as the subject is, I was always immensely grateful that I stumbled into this work. I love these diaries and the courage and wisdom that they represent. I remain deeply moved by these young people who left us such important historical and literary records. So, even on difficult days, I wanted to be doing the work, and I felt intensely aware of how lucky I was to be studying the Holocaust and not trying to survive it.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Like everyone, I am juggling a lot of projects.  Last spring, I finished editing and writing an introduction to a newly discovered diary of a teenage girl who lived in a Polish ghetto during the Holocaust. I am in the process of writing a Level 3 Reader (for 7-9 year olds) biography of Anne Frank for National Geographic. And I continue to travel regularly for Salvaged Pages to work with teachers and students who are using the book in their classrooms.

At the same time, I am beginning work on a book about my grandfather, Abraham Zapruder, who is known for having taken a home movie of the assassination of President Kennedy. It will be a work of narrative nonfiction that tells not only the story of my grandfather’s life and how the film came into being, but the compelling, colorful, and extraordinary history of the film over the following forty years.  While this project will likely be several years in the making, I am writing an essay about my grandfather for a book about President Kennedy’s life and assassination to be published by LIFE Books in September 2013.

Interview with Deborah Kalb.

Nov. 20

Nadine Gordimer

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Nov. 20, 1923: Author Nadine Gordimer born.

Nov. 19

Emma Lazarus

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Nov. 19, 1887: Death of poet Emma Lazarus.

Nov. 18

Margaret Atwood

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Nov. 18, 1939: Novelist Margaret Atwood born.

Q&A with author Larry Tye

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Larry Tye

Larry Tye, a longtime journalist, has written six books, the most recent of which is Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero. He runs the Health Coverage Fellowship, based in Boston, which trains reporters to cover health-related issues.
 

Q: You are working on a book about Robert F. Kennedy. What have you found in the course of your research that surprised you the most?

A: Lots of things have surprised me about RFK, from his early career as a cold warrior, to the way he evolved his later role as a liberal icon. The transition was dramatic and a lens into the way America was changing in that era. I've also uncovered things that I find new and illuminating about Bobby Kennedy's roles in the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis. Most important, I am starting to understand why he still resonates today -- half a century after his death -- with everyone from Bill O'Reilly to Barack Obama. As for specifics, I can't wait to lay those issues and themes out in my book.

Q: What intrigued you about Superman, and what do you think makes him, as your subtitle says, "America's most enduring hero"?

A: In an era when political heroes seem to last about 15 seconds, and most sports heroes fizzle after a season or two, I was drawn in by the way Superman has stayed atop our list of national icons for what will be, as of next June, a full 75 years. I thought that, by looking at what made Superman stick in the American psyche, I could learn a lot not just about him but about us. And I think I did.

So why has Superman lasted that long?

It's partly that he has evolved more than the fruit fly. In the 1930s he was just the crime fighter we needed to take on Al Capone and the robber barons. In the forties he defended the home front while brave GIs battled overseas. Early in the Cold War he stood up taller than ever for his adopted country, while in its waning days he tried singlehandedly to eliminate nuclear stockpiles. For each era he zeroed in on the threats that scared us most, using powers that grew or diminished depending on the need. So did his spectacles, hair style, even his job title. Each generation got the Superman it needed and deserved. Each change offered a Rorschach test of the pulse of that time and its dreams. Superman, always a beacon of light, was a work in progress.

At least as important, however, is his constancy. Nobody has a more instinctual sense than Superman of right and wrong. He is an archetype of mankind at its pinnacle. Like John Wayne, he sweeps in to solve our problems. No thank-you needed. Like Jesus Christ, he descended from the heavens to help us discover our humanity. He is neither cynical like Batman nor fraught like Spider-Man. For the religious, he can reinforce whatever faith they profess; for nonbelievers he is a secular messiah. The more jaded the era, the more we have been suckered back to his clunky familiarity. So what if the upshot of his adventures is as predictable as with Sherlock Holmes: the good guy never loses. That is reassuring.

There's one more reason I wrote this book: to feel like I was 10 years old again. And that worked, too.

Q: Your books seem to be about very diverse issues, but do you see themes that connect them?

A: Each tries to use the narrow story I am telling -- of individuals like Satchel Paige and Superman, or groups and movements like the Pullman porters and the Jewish diaspora -- as a window into wider issues and forces. Satchel's life, for instance, perfectly mirrored the era of segregation in America, and my book was at least as much a biography of Jim Crow as it was of the Negro Leagues strikeout king. Same for the book on the Jewish diaspora: while it was the story of my people, it tried to say something about every ethnic and national group that, years and continents removed from their homeland, continues to define itself by ancient cultural roots and to find a hyphenated identity in its adopted homeland. 

Q: You worked for many years as a medical writer, and now you train reporters to cover health care issues. What do you think of the coverage of the Affordable Care Act over the past few years, and what topics do you focus on in the journalistic training?

A: Our fellowship program zeroes in on issues ranging from health care reform to mental and public health, trying to make medical reporters a bit better at what they do. I think there's endless room for improvement for even the most seasoned reporters, and no issue makes my point better than the Affordable Care Act, which remains an enigma to most politicians as well as most of the public.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Just that I love writing books more, even, than I did being a reporter for 20 years, and that is saying a very lot.

Interview with Deborah Kalb.