We had a lovely time visiting Cheryl Strayed’s home in Portland on Wednesday, where she hosted a book launch party for award-winning author, Rachel DeWoskin.
Rachel is on tour for her latest novel, Blind, and we were lucky enough to get to hear her speak about her process and what it’s like to write a novel for young adults after writing two novels and a memoir for adults.
Here’s what Cheryl has to say about, Blind:
I just finished reading the book and it’s so, so good—beautiful, vivid, intelligent, and deeply moving. I’ve been a fan of Rachel’s work for ages, but this one has a special place in my heart.
The main character in Blind is Emma, who about to become a sophomore in high school when she goes blind from an accident. To paraphrase DeWoskin’s description of the book, this is a story about a teen who is learning that the person that she was is not the only version of herself that is meant to be. It’s about book about facing adversity and realizing that there is more to our self than we might have imagined.
We are living in a world where it’s easy to resort to fear and cynicism. So it’s refreshing to know that there are books that can teach lessons about how to cope with serious life challenges and get through them.
You can read more about Blind in this review in the San Francisco Chronicle:
And here is an interview with Rachel at BookPage: http://bookpage.com/interviews/17021-rachel-de-woskin#.U_bYXUj0sck
This book is for tweens and teens, 12 and up. We bought Samantha a copy of the book and she had it signed by the author.
And while we were there, I took some selfies with a couple of my writer buds in Cheryl’s library. Here I am with Shari MacDonald Strong…
And here I am being silly with Naseem Rakha…
Here’s a photo of Samantha and I thanking the hostess for a lovely evening…
If you have a tween or teen, check out Blind. If you are not sure your child is ready to tackle these themes, why not read it out loud and discuss it as you go? This is what the author did with her own daughter.