Christy Mandin's Bittersweet, based on true history, is a super book, having the power to give younger readers and listeners insights into not only not so ancient world history but the evils of the times we're living in.
World War II had just ended. It must not seemed like that to the children of Berlin. Much of their city was in rubble. And many of the necessities of life were very hard to get...
...including food...
...Germany had been split up like a pie between the conquering nations. Berlin itself was split between East and West with blockages preventing food from being delivered by motor vehicles, trains, and boats to West Berlin.
The countries in charge of West Berlin de cided to fly food in. One of the pilots conducting this vital mission, a man named Gail, spoke to a bunch of kids. He had only two sticks of gum to share with them. But he promised them a surprise. He and his fellow pilots used their ration books to buy as much candy as possible. They dropped it from planes, using hankies as parachutes...
...They were violating military rules by flying secret missions...
...But when they were caught Gail was in for a real surprise.
In her author's note Mandin reminds readers that, "Unfortunately, this story isn't ancient history. In many places around the world today, from Palestine to Yemen, Ukraine to Israel, Myanmar to South Sudan, children are caught in the crossfires of conflicts they did not create. They face hunger, fear, displacement, and trauma on a scale that echoes the darkest chapters of history."
In writing Bittersweet she was expressing her hope that the children of today can grow up to create a more just, compassionate world than the one we live in today...
...which is why it's a most excellent acquisition for public, school, and family libraries.
On a purrrsonal note, Amber had a most excellent event Thursday night. Ampersand is a beautiful indie store in downtown Orono that sells the most wonderful array of products. It's legendary here. It's survived the pandemic and many less major crises such as, if I remember correctly, a flooded basement. The event was a book talk featuring four women authors (in honor of women's history month) and wine 🍷 tasting. The setting was perfect for intimacy. The hostessing was wonderful. Maddy from Orono Public Library, who was the moderator, asked open ended questions that elicited thoughtful, candid answers from the authors who also spoke spontaneously to each other. For a book loving future author it was purrrfect. And I got a lot of useful information, especially when the authors answered my question: what was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the road to getting published and how did you surmount it? I left so inspired and confident that I can follow in Amber's footsteps.
A great big shout out goes out to all who facilitated and participated in that most excellent event.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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