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My Comments (45 so far…)

Liz Smith Gets High ...

The Wizard of Oz books are wonderful! And the follow-up books by L. Frank Baum further delve into the world of Oz, which is so much more fanciful than even just the classic Dorothy tale.

What Book Drove Joan Ganz Cooney to Tears?

I have never read a book more slowly than Gone With The Wind, only because I did not want it to end and I wanted to drink in every minute - and at 1037 pages, it took some time! LOVE it.

What was your favorite book (or books) as a child?

A SECRET GARDEN, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is still my all-time favorite. Mary Lennox’s transformation from sullen, lonely girl to healthy and exuberant girl with a family is simply wonderful.

Also by Burnett, A LITTLE PRINCESS. A lovely book about kindness and imagination. And the movie adaptation by Alfonso Cuaron is fantastic and makes me cry every time.

I also adored MATILDA by Roald Dahl. A wickedly subversive story of a child who was too smart and wonderful for her wretched family to appreciate. Ms. Trunchbull was an unforgettable villain.

Did You Ever See a Book Cry? by Sheila Nevins

What a lovely story. Sheila has such a knack for getting to the core of such deep emotions. How will our books know that we love them if they are not worn and frayed from having pages turned or being carried around in purses and on planes? What is more satisfying and devastating than completing an amazing book? I’ve been known to devour the first half of a book, only to slow down to a nibble just so the book wouldn’t end before I was done enjoying it, and to feel a pang as I shut the book, never to experience its magic for the first time again. I would rather lug around multiple books until my back aches than read on a screen. How will I have insight into someone’s soul by browsing what they choose to display on their bookshelves or read on the subway?

I will NEVER give up my books, no matter how tiny my apartment or how many shelves I pack. Every vacation I must allow some weight in my suitcase for my books. While I have embraced the iPod for its convenience, a book is made to be held and paged through, not downloaded. I love to donate and loan my books so I can refresh my shelves and bequeath the ones I’ve already loved to new eyes. And what better way to spend an afternoon than browsing a bookstore or library, which are alive with the endless possibilities of stories to discover and love and change your life. There’s just no comparing.

Liz Smith: One Night Only With Vanessa Redgrave

The Royal Family was a delight! Jan Maxwell was absolutely fantastic. So glad you thought so, too, Liz!

Chocolate Always on a White Blouse, by Sheila Nevins

I rarely wear white for this precise reason but I do like bright colors, which are also magnets for visible stains. When trying clothes on, I think, “How soon am I going to wreck this and is it worth it?” In a recent retail-induced seizure, I bought a yellow dress. Wholly impractical and practically dangerous – a ticking time bomb. I knew better. But it was gorgeous and made me feel gorgeous, and so I kept it. And saved it in my closet for over a month, too scared to wear it for fear I would ruin it. I finally wore it out, to great fanfare and compliments. I did get a few tiny spots on it at dinner, but I also met a cute boy that night who told me he liked my yellow dress. So was it worth it? I think so. Love, loss, and what I wore, indeed.

Chloe Malle, 23: How to Begin Beginning?

I would find an activity, whether it’s volunteering or working part-time or something, that gives you some sort of schedule or structure. I’m close to your age and had similar struggles in the first year or two after my graduation. Volunteering weekly for a nonprofit organization gave me a consistent schedule and the leadership opportunities helped to boost my confidence when applying and interviewing for jobs. It’s also good to just get out in the world - it’s great to be focused on your writing, but it’s also great to have the human interaction. It made me feel a lot better about my under-employment to get out every Saturday and reconnect with a consistent group of people. There are plenty of volunteering opportunities that will make use of your writing skills (tutoring - try 826nyc, Minds Matter, etc.), plus, it’s also an excellent networking opportunity, especially if you volunteer in a field related to your career goals. Plenty of Manhattan professionals spend evenings and/or weekends volunteering, and they may know of opportunities for you or can introduce you to other people who do.

Jeremy Hit Rock Bottom, by Sheila Nevins

Tragic. Once again, Sheila encapsulates all of the emotions and ironies of the situation. The daughter with an “excusable” illness, the mother who was over-medicated to deal with the overwhelming grief, the delicate line between enabling and saving … it’s all too much to bear. Which is worse? Letting your son hit true rock bottom or losing yourself trying to keep him from doing it? There are no easy answers to these tough questions. There is only “what if?” and choose your own adventure alternatives that will drive you mad. We must live with the choices we’ve made, unless, like Jeremy, our choices have irreversible consequences. Marcie did the best she could with the options she had. I’m sorry for her loss and hope that she can forgive herself.

Joan Juliet Buck: Use Hotel Bathrooms

I agree … hotels are the nicest when you’re on the go. I’m also a fan of Bloomingdales and Saks.

LIZ SMITH FLASH! Sheila Nevins to Be Presented Governors Award by Elaine Stritch

Congratulations! I hope it makes the E! broadcast so we can all see it!

The Day Grandma Left Heaven for Dead, by Sheila Nevins

I don’t ever remember really believing in heaven and hell. I love to read Greek myths and fairy tales, but even at the age of six, my mother had to force me to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy, explaining that I’d swallowed a tooth, to ensure my reward. I did it for her even though I did not believe in it. It was a fairy tale for my mother, to believe that her little girl believed. So I identify with Sheila’s skepticism at an early age. I think it is notable that the focus of the story is on grandparents – so many children’s concept of heaven begins with the death of a grandparent. I feel like heaven is a myth for the living. When someone dies of disease, you say, “At least they’re not in pain anymore.” When someone dies hang gliding or skiing, you say, “At least they died doing what they loved.” We who remain must comfort ourselves somehow to deal with the pain of loss. Though these ideas are often presented to children to avoid the harder truths about death, Sheila’s story shows that children are often capable of understanding much more than we give them credit for, and that children are not the only ones who need the comfort of belief in an afterlife. And I think that it’s okay, either way. If you believe in heaven, you are comforted by the belief that your late loved ones spend eternity there. If you don’t, there is still beauty and renewal in the world we live in, as Sheila notes at the end of her lovely story. As Sheila says, “I would try to find heaven in children, in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in work, in the laughter, in the tears, in the friends, in the moments of life that were within life – moments that would never be again.” What I like about Judaism is the practice of naming babies after the recently deceased – it is to honor the dead and keep them alive in your heart, and to imbue the child with qualities you admired in the deceased. Not heaven or hell, but new life, not recreated but inspired by the past and the people you have loved and who will someday be past themselves, including yourself.

Heart-Break, by Sheila Nevins

Thank you.

Heart-Break, by Sheila Nevins

Thank you, Phyllis.

Heart-Break, by Sheila Nevins

I’m a little younger than most Wowowow commenters, and don’t have a lot of experience with romantic heartbreak, but for the past year I’ve been experiencing a profound heartbreak over a friendship that is ending, or at least declining, and it is devastating. My best friend and I lived together for three years, went to college together before that, and did so much together. We moved into separate apartments in the same building due to various life situations last year, but were still great friends. Suddenly she met an older man and fell into a serious relationship almost immediately, and left me behind. I see her occasionally (maybe once a month), but she’s always traveling or with him at his place. What hurts more than not seeing her is that she is so obsessed with him that she has forgotten to care about what I’m up to and how I’m doing. I never hear from her unless I invite her somewhere or I reach out first. A year ago she was baking me a cake when I was sick on my birthday, and this year I don’t even know if she’ll take the time to attend. I want not to care and I want to be happy for her, but I feel like her happiness came at the price of mine since I miss her so much. I don’t know if it would be better if I were in a relationship of my own, if I would understand better, but right now I just find it really difficult to take. I hope that I’ll understand someday. I have other friends and I am enjoying life, but I just feel a gaping hole where my best friend used to be, sharing these experiences with me. I imagine that it’s a lot like romantic heartbreak, but I don’t know yet.

Joan Ganz Cooney Praises Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart is simply wonderful. He distills the issues in such a way that gives you the essence and reveals the lunacy, and manages to make it funny.