This posting offers suggstions of nonfiction and fiction books of various genres. I’ve delved into some titles that are stories as essays, essays as stories, short stories and scripts.
>>>STORIES AS ESSAYS / ESSAYS AS STORIES
MAKE BELIEVE: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett
Mac Barnett is a bestselling, award-winning author of over 70 picture books. He has recently been honoured with the position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in the United States. Some popular titles illustrated by Jon Klassen include, Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, Extra Yarn, The Shape Trilogy. His latest release, The Future Book illustrated by Shawn Harris is a hoot, sue to bring delight and laughter to readers young and old. The three essays that appear in Make Believe help us understand that children’s literature is ‘not only as an art form worthy of deep study and criticism, but as a portal to the lives of children. In the first essay ‘A Grand Unifying Theory of Children’s Literature’, Barnett describes, explains, defends, celebrates the potential merits of children’s literature that deserves to be considered a highly regarded and significant field of writing. He offers the following definition, “A children’s book is a book written for children.” (p. 6). Get into groups and discuss. ‘Good Books for Bad Children’ is the title of the second essay> The title adopts the words said by he visionary edior Ursula Nordstrom who described her job as making “good books for bad children.” In this section, Barnett honours the work of the great Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon) and discusses the role that adults play in sharing books with children.Any artwork is a conversation between the audience adn he artist. A children’s book, then, is a conversation between a child and an adult.” (p. 30.). ‘The Secret Door’ is the final essay, the author describes how books were central to his family life and his mission as an author to tap into the minds and imaginations of children through the world of fiction. He writes:
“The sublimity of a sentence or a picture, the thrill of a plot, the intimacy of community with a character – the beauty of a good story adn the truth it contains can shock us into surrendering our certainties. And in that gloriously unsettled moment our sense of the possible is enlarged. Every story is a secret door, an invitation to imagine another world and, by believing so, make it real.” (p. 90)
MODERN LOVE: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption edited by Daniel Jones / 2007 / 2019
“Modern Love” is a weekly feature column in the Sunday New York Times. Even though I’m a subscriber, i, for no particular reason don’t choose to read these essays about love in its many forms. However, I do find myself investigating the witty and poignant illustrations by the brilliant artistBrian Rea that accompany each piece. (He has illustrated over 700 Modern Love essays.) The essays that appear in this collection first published in 2007 and revised in 2019 captured my attention since, according to the introduction, these weren’t stories limited to romantic love :”We hoped to the stories wouild explore the darkness as much as the light, plumb both the joys and the pain that spring from our lifelong efforts to be intimate with other human beings.” The forty-two essays in this book, each with approximately 1500 word count, (mostly written by published authors) were featured in the NY Times were drawn from entries in the past few decades, The book definitely gives broad and deep thought to stories of love, loss and redemption. Each story is unique told with heart and pain. Reading these accounts also tapS into the universal quest to find companionship, trust, frustration and joy of someone to share our life with. This book is definitely worth reading. Perhaps I’ll dip into the Styles section each week to read contemporary modern love stories. (also: an anthology Television series and a podcast)
A sampling:
A young woman sends her first mildly sexual text message o a a guy she started seeing and then waits ans wais in agony for him to respond. (“The Five Stages of Ghosting Grief’ by Rachel Fields (p. 28)
A gay man’s romanic evening, (with a guy he didn’t particularly like) is interrupted when he receives a phone call from his sister and learns that their father has died. (‘During a Night of Casual Sex, Urgent Messages Go Unanswered ‘ by Andrew Rannells (p. 55)
A woman accompanies her husband as he undergoes male to female surgery. (‘My Husband is Now My Wife’ by Diane Daniel, p. 202)
A couple travels to an orphanage in China where she is handed her adopted daughter, only to find that the babynhas damanged dnerves and will eventually be left disabled for life. (‘My First Lesson in Motherhood’ byElizabeth Fitzimons (p. 231)
An immigrant doorman gives sound advice to a woman who dates different men. (‘When the Dorrman is Your Main Man’ by Juie Margaret Hogben (p, 280)
Shout Out: “You May Want to Marry My Husband” written by author Amy Krouse Rosenthall and published ten days before she died of ovarian cancer.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE STORIES: The Remarkable True Tales Behind Your Favourite Children’s Books by Danielle Higley / 2021
This publication is a wondrous treat for lovers of children’s literature. The author provides short essays that explain the fascinating behind-the-scenes creations of twenty-nine children’s classics (e.g., Curious George, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A Wrinkle in Time.). Author, Danielle Higley’s research and storytelling helps us ‘”o see that our most treasured children’s books weren’t just built on creativiyand imagination – many were born from extraordinary persistence and grit” (Author’s Note). The authors’ biographical information, ‘did you know’ facts , remarkable stories, and wonderful brighty coloured, detailed collage like- illustrations (including some photo imags) make this publication a fascinating, informative celebration of enduring children’s literature we have come to love.
Some Did You Know examples:
Dav Pilkey was a reluctant reader when he was a kid who had (and still has ADHD and dyslexia. Pilkey was 7 years old when he wrote and illustrated his first Captain Underpants book.Unimpressed, his teacheerf ripped Captain Underpants first comic book in half and told the young author that he ‘couldn’t spend the rest of his life making silly books.”
The idea for The Very Hungry Caterpillar came to Eric Carl when he was playing a whole punch, putting holes in a stack of papers. Ethe author/ illustrator’s picture book hero, a hungry caterpillar was originally was a worm named Willy who became very fat at the end of the story. The infamous book ultimately became a story of transformation.
Children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom offered Maurice Sendak a contract for a book entitled “Where The WIld Horses Are.” For Sendak, this was a problem since he couldn’t draw horses and when Nordstrom asked, “Maurice, what can you draw?” Sendak answered “Things..” Thus was born Where the Wild Things Are.
It’s sort of curious that “Goodnight Cucumber. Goodnight fly” got removed from Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon manuscript.
Christopher Paul Curtis took a year off from working on a General Motors assembly line in Flint, Michigan. He hoped to write a book based on a car trip he took with his own family to visit family in Florida. When his sonb gave his father with the poem “The Ballad of Birmingham’ by Dudley Randall, about the chruch bombing. the Watsons’ travelled to Birmingham instead of Florida. and the author wove in events that were inspired from his own life. When he submitted a manuscript for The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 to two contests, he did not win either award but the book caught the attention of a publisher and the book went on to win the Newbery Honor Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award.
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: THE STUMBLING STONES OF EUROPE by Kathy Kacer / 2026
I wasn’t familiar with the Stolperstein (Stumbling Stones) monument, Some facts:
> The memorial project began in 1995 by artist Guner Demnig as a way to honour victims of the Holocaust.
> Stones are small brass plaques chiseled with names and dates and fates and are placed outside the last address of the person before being arrested and often taken to concentration camps.
> Plaques are dedicated not only to Jewish people but also those who were persecuted for being Romani, disabled, queer. Not all shared the same fate.
> Gunter Demnig, working with a partner Michael Friedrichs-Friedlander has been placing plaques into cobblestone streets and concrete sidewalks in over seven hundred cities.
> as of early 2026, there have been 116,00 stones laid across 31 countries. About 6000 stones are added annually.
After stumbling upon a stumbling stone in Rome, Kathy Kacer became intrigued to find out more about the largest monument of the Holocaust in the world. In Last Known Address the author tells 13 stories of those whose names have been engraved in the memorial artifacts. The stones bring humanity to those whose lives were lost. Moreover, each stone is a marker of a human story to those who perished and reading these stories brings honor to those who perished in the Second World War and the Holocaust. Gunter Dmnig believed that ‘ a person is forgotten only when their name is forgotten.’ There is sadness and awe in reading these stories of those who were arrested but learning about the families, the friends, the communities, the businesses, the pleasures of those who once lived in freedom helps us to understand history and value that ‘if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.” (American philosopher George Santaya).
Kathy Kacer is a hero for her writing for young people about antisemitism, the evil of the Nazi regime and the unbelievable stories of courage and resilience of those who lives who have been cut short. Any single historical fiction, nonfiction and picture book by Kathy Kacer helps young readers to grasp some understanding of the horrors of World War II. Last Known Address is a must-read stellar collection of stories that help readers of all ages to dig into the lives of only a few of someone who lived and possibly perished in the Holocaust. Thank you, thank you for this remarkable , well-researched, heartfelt nonfiction title, Kathy. The sepia illusTrations of the monuments and artifacts by Julian Neufeld add to the power of the book. and has inspired me to stumble upon stumble stones should I travel to Europe. Moreover each story in the book serves as a monument to a life lost by bringing authenticity to help me better understand those lives. And as statistics inform us, there have been 116,000 stones laid in 31 countries. 116 000 stones represent 116 000 stories of those ‘who lived here’. In the afterword, Kacer writes words of inspiration
Keep readng
Keep learning.
Pass the history on.
Remembering..
Leone Sabatello: Rome, Italy
Ann Frank: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Ettie Steinburg Gluck: Dublin Ireland
Willy Zimmerer: Frankfurt, Germany
Ada Van Dantzig: London, England
Max Josef Freund: Munich, Germany
Jan and Amalie Daniel: Brno, Czech Republic
Carl Becker:Krefeld, Germany
Matvy, Ajzinberg: Belrade, Serbia
Vera Katch Shiff,: Prague, Czech Republic
Max Windermueller,: Emden, Germany
Salman Schocken: Berlin, Germany
Attila Petschauer: Budapest, Hungry
SHOUT OUT!
THANK YOU, TEACHERS: True Stories from America’s teachers, our last line of defense and our first line of hope by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann (editors)
Bestselling author, James Patterson is prolific, having published over 200 books. He has written fiction, nonfiction and books for middle years readers. Thank you,Teachers is a collection of essays written by from across the United States. Stories come from the trenches of kindergarten, high school educators in both the public and private system. Some writers are new to the profession others have been seasoned teachers approaching retirement. Every story has something to inform readers about the challenging, aggravating, and rewarding aspects of working with young people. Teachers share stories about lack of supplies, frustrations with administration, encounters with parents, the need to balance family life (or needing to take more than one job. Many pieces recount experiences with specific learners who experience behavioural and/or academic challenges. An overriding theme, seems to be that building caring RELATIONSHIPS matters. Amen!Teachers who read this book will connect to, or be motivated by, these true stories of perseverance and hope. This collection confirms that every teacher deserves recognition, a thank you and a hug. Thank You, Teachers is sure to be added to the list of James Patterson bestsellers. Those who aren’t in the profession will come to gain understanding about the commitment and passion of the world of teachers doing their best to foster the journey of lifelong learners. Some sample statements include:
“There are no bad students, just students who need to learn differently.”
“Experience and passion make a good teacher, not testing.”
“There is no such thing as a kid who hates reading. Here are kids who love reading and kids who are reading the wrong books,”
“If it could be just us and our kids, it would be the best job in the world.”
>>>SHORT STORIES
THE ELEVENTH HOUR: A Quintet of Stories by Salman Rushdie / 2025
I’ve read a few books by renowned author, Salman Rushdie and was recently knocked out by his memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (2025) a recount of the 2022 stabbing that left the author partially blind and his recovery and trauma of the experience.. This new release is a collection of five stories, (not particularly short stories: 20 pages; 80 pages, 74 pages, 60 pages, 19 pages). I chose to read the shorter one’s first. I think my favourite was ‘In the South’ the first one in the collection which introduces readers to a pair of cantankerous seniors, Junior and Senior, rather depend on each other from day to day, as they cautiously approach death. Senior. with two hundred and five younger family members question the value of life so full of love:, “His was a family of mosquitoes, he thought, a buzzing swarm, and love was their itchy bite.” . ‘The Musician of Kahanai’ is centred on a musical prodigy, with a magical gift that allows her to cause destruction of the super rich family she married into. I’m not particularly fond of ghost stories but the afterlife of Cambridge don and his connection with a lonely student in the story ‘Lost’ was intriguing and ‘believable’ (as far as ghost stories go.). This story grabbed me from the opening sentence: “When the Honorary Feloow S. M. Arthur woke up in his darkened College bedroom he was dead. ‘Oklahoma’ describes the adventures of a young writer who tries to figure out whether his mentor killed himself. Disclaimer: I abandoned this selection after reading only half of it. (Maybe I’ll give it another go! ). The final piece, ‘The Old Man in the Piazza’ is described as ”a powerful parable for out times about freedom of speech”. Language is a personified character in this narrative. So like any story collection, this one was hit and miss for me – even if there was a collection of only five tales where the 11th hour ending of life , and/or death is given thoughtful expression.
THE NEWS FROM DUBLIN by Colm Toibin / 2026
This short story collection is by an author who’s work I’m drawn to (Brooklyn, Long Island, Nora Webster). I read the stories in the order that they appeared and as is often the case, enjoyed some more than others. They differ in length (from 5 pages to 98 pages), in first perso , second person, and third person voices, in setting (Ireland, San Francisco, New York, Argentina and Spain) and in time periods and with characters sraight and gay. Several stories are centred on family relationships (a mother grieving over her son who has been killed in the war (‘The Journey to Galway’ which is the strongest story in the anthology); (the strongest story), an undocumented father, forced to head back to Ireland who must say goodbye to his daughter (‘Five Bridges’), a brother who seeks a cure for his brother who has tuberculosis (‘The News from Dublin’) and three sisters who have just inherited a property that once belonged to an aunt (‘The Catalan Girls’). There is an overall theme of having characters move on from events of their past, whether it’s a pedophile who has been released from prison who leaves is home to seek freedom in a place where folks don’t know his story (‘A Free Man’) or a boy who must live with the consequences of having stolen money at his boarding school (‘A Sum of Money’). There is a sadness to many stories of love, loss and change. Ultimately, what the nine stories have in common is the fine writing by a gifted Irish writer.
>>>SCRIPTS
I often enjoy reading scripts of plays I’ve seen in production. The following titles are three plays that I went to on a recent trip to New York.
BECKY SHAW by Gina Gionfriddo / 2010
Becky Shaw has been advertised as a play about the perils of blind dating. Disclaimer; plays about blind dating don’t particularly interest me but this play , first produced in 2008 is not centred on dating, even though a key plot event, helps to unravel the challenges of friendship, of companionship, of family, of gender. Recent reviews of the Broadway production were raves* so I narrowed my choices of what to see on a Sunday afternoon and chose this play. The audience around me roared with laughter. Not me. Disclaimer: For the most part. I’m not one to laugh out loud in the theatre. Humour is a funny thing. Yes, the play is funny in a rather wicked way. Becky Shaw, nominated for the pulitzer prize in 2009 is a dark comedy about ambition, the cost of being truthful, and yes, the perils of a blind date. Central to the story is an unlikeable guy named Max who, when younger. was adopted into a family that is now facing problems (the father has died, the wife is found herself a younger man, the sister, now married is having some issues with her husband). Enter Becky Shaw, a beautiful young woman who is struggling with life and love, was set up on a blind date with the egotistical, alpha Max. Can’t say that you rooted for any characters in this play but one’s moral and ethical beliefs are somewhat challenged as we witness how people treat each other for their own gains. I like Act II better than Act One, the Broadway cast was terrific. After reading the sharp script, I think I liked the play better than I originally thought.
Some knockout reviews*
” … ferociously funny. A tangled tale of love, sex, and ethics” (Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times)
” an incisive, observant, scathing, and hilarious play…” (Hayley Levitt, Theatremania)
“Becky Shaw is a highly entertaining: a laugh-a-minute play whose comedic concerns are refreshingly up to date. What bumps it to the next level are the philosophical questions behind the banter: Can love be bought> When does support become manipulation? How might what seems more or less a one-night stand come to mean more, or mean less?” (Adam Feldman, Time Out)
DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller / 1949
This play, written in 1949 (the year I was born) is of course considered one of the most significant masterpieces of American theatre. The story of the aging, failing salesman, Willy Loman, who desperately has huge hopes of success for himself and his sons is an iconic character symbol of the American Dream. The revival, now playing in New York ,stars Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf both giving mighty fine performances under the direction of Joe Mantello. This production presented audiences with a masterful, modern production of a universal, sad story of delusion, promise and loss that still resonates today.
EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe / 2016
Since it’s first production at a UK Fringe Festival in 2013, this brilliant play has been performed world wide with the central character of a narrator played by a man or a woman. I’d seen (and loved) a couple of shows in small local venues and was a bit concerned that it was now going to be showing at a big broadway house. The draw for this production is the Daniel Radcliffe and after recently attending a performance, my concerns vanished. Mr. Radcliffe is a talented, charismatic, energetic actor and he enthusiastically hosts audience members through this 75 minute scripted and improvised play.
The story: At the age of six, a young man learns of his mother’s suicide attempt and so he decides to that a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world wold lived her series. The list begins: 1. Ice Cream 2. Water Fights 3. Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV 4. The colour yellow. The premise of this show is that each time the actor calls out a number, the item is shouted out by an audience member spread throughout the auditorium. Cards with number and brilliant thing items are distributed to select members before the play begins. Improvised scenes with the boys’ father, a librarian, a veterinarian and a romantic partner add to the fun of the evening Though a play centred on depression, Every Brilliant Thing is a hilarious, entertaining journey into things in our lives that make us happy and need to be celebrated*. It is a play to be celebrated and with Daniel Radcliffe a performance to be celebrated. It is a play to help each audience member think about and appreciate the brilliant things in their lives. Brilliant!
*Some brilliant things
9. Chocolate / 24. Spagetti with meatballs / 26. Peeing in the sea and nobody knows / 315. The smell of old books./ 324./ Nina Simone’s voice / 516. Winning something / 517, Knowing someone well enought to get them to check your teeth for broccoli / 994. Hairdressers who listen to what you want / 999, Sunlight /1008. Dancing in Private / 9997. Being cooked for / 253263. The feeling of calm which follows the realization that although you may be in a regrettable situation, there’s nothing you can do about it. 99999 . Completing a task