Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
By Dorie McCullough Lawson
Still child-obsessed, but determined to elevate my reading list beyond parenting
guides, I landed on Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children by
Dorie McCullough Lawson (daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough).
This anthology presents letters from 68 acclaimed American actors, artists, explorers,
inventors and politicians, including Ansel Adams, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein,
Woody Guthrie, Mary Todd Lincoln, Jack London, Groucho Marx, Frederick Law Olmsted,
Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. The letters are arranged by
theme ("Love," "Loss," and "Rules To Live By")
and introduced by a brief biographical sketch that describes the context in which
the letter was written. An interesting appendix traces births, death, marriages,
and children for each author. While some of the letters fall flat on their own
and fail to offer any real gems of being, still others delight with their wit
and wisdom. All provide an interesting glimpse into the lives and concerns of
remarkable people. More entertaining than enlightening, this collection inspired
me to write letters to my own children, so that in my absence they will have
a little piece of me to fold up, tuck away, and keep close for comfort. Nancy Williams Faris
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