07.06.11
NPR made me cry
I don’t think most people would call me much of a crier. However, NPR, Fresh Air to be exact, made me tear up on the way home from work the other day. I feel like we all know the story of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. (If not why are you reading this blog go to the library ASAP!) There’s a new book out that explores how E.B. White came to write the book. As the lovely NPR commentator is discussing the book I’m smiling and recalling reading the book as a child. Then comes the heart wrencher, “White’s own later estimation of his work is, perhaps, most touching.” White suffered from Alzheimer’s and one thing that he enjoyed was to have his books/essays read to him. When he asked who wrote the books and was told he had his reaction was “Not bad”.
That just…kills me. Alzheimer’s robs people of the very person they once were, leaving them to only guess at the hints, to forget the things that made them great. After seeing this happen to someone close to us it just makes this story even more dreadfully real.
Anyway, if you want to read the NPR story it’s here: http://www.npr.org/2011/07/05/137452030/how-e-b-white-spun-charlottes-web