Hello ,Happy April Fools Day!
Thanks to everybody who's been sending me book recommendations! I'm sharing some of them today. See below.
Spaghetti Grows on Trees (pictures to prove it)
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On April Fools Day 1957, a well-known and respected reporter for the BBC reported that farmers in Switzerland were harvesting a bountiful spaghetti crop. The news story included film of
"farmers" picking various noodles from trees.
Such a prank wouldn't get past many today, but the world was not as well-connected back then and some people in England have only ever eaten spaghetti out of cans. And the film looked real enough! So, yes, many people briefly believed the story.
Ruth Splinder, who now lives in the U.S. says "I actually saw this
programme & believed it! ...Living in Yorkshire and not being world travellers, we had no clue as to what spaghetti was or what it looked like." Thanks to the BBC for these rare
photos! Not to make anyone 'fess up about their age, but I know a number of you are old enough that you may remember this. If so, let me know! And if you can top this April Fools joke, let me know that, too.
Great Books We've Been Reading! |
I just finished a terrific book you might have heard about as it is a New York Times bestseller and one of the more notable books published in 2014. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption is written by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who dedicated his legal career to defending prisoners on death row, some wrongly convicted, some never got a fair shake,
some totally innocent.
"We have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent," Stevenson says. Despite the heavy topic, this book is a quick read, and definitely a clarion call we should be listening
to.
Thanks to Jan Myhre for recommending The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman. This book was one of the sources for Irena's Children and tells the story of hundreds of Jews saved from the Warsaw Ghetto and hidden from the Nazis in Warsaw's zoo. Irena Sendler also took refuge in the zoo when the Nazis were on her tail.
Lynette Weaver recommends A Steet Cat Named Bob a New York Times Best Seller that I somehow
completely missed. A simple act of kindness starts a failed musician, drug-addicted homeless man on the path of recovery and redemption.
Thank you, Mary Ellen Gaffney-Brown for the tip about Making Toast, by Roger Rosenblatt. NPR calls it an exquisite, restrained little memoir filled with both hurt and humor. Written by a grandfather who takes over care of two grandchildren after their mother/his daughter dies. Thanks to Ginny Rosenblatt and NPR for this photo of Roger and his grandson James. Thanks for you time! Have you read a great book? Tell me about it. Have a burning question? Let me know. Until next week.... If you know someone who might enjoy my newsletter or books, please forward this e-mail. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. To find
out more about my books, how I help students, teacher and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary
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