Reading All There Is
is like being engulfed in a giant bouquet of love in all its vast
intricacies. While there are plenty of heartwarming, kissy-face
snippets in this StoryCorps gem, many stories are edged with bittersweet
moments of heartache, regret and loss.
StoryCorps is “a very simple
idea. You make an appointment to bring in anyone you want to honor by
listening. When you arrive at the booth you’re met by a StoryCorps
facilitator who takes you inside and sits you across a small table from,
say, your grandmother. You face one another, a microphone in front of
each of you, and for the next forty minutes you ask questions and
listen.” David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, has done a marvelous
thing by taking a handful of stories centered around a theme – in this
case love stories – and pairing them down to just a few pages.
This book swept me up in just a few pages. I whooped with enthusiasm
at the budding romance between a toll collector and a commuter and how a
traffic cone was used to show the commuter which booth belonged to her
crush. “It’ll be like keeping a candle in the window for you,” he
said. If that doesn’t warm your heart I guarantee you there is at least
one story in this book that will! This book will take you to Iraq
where you will read about a woman who falls in love with a man who
proposes with a weapon slung on his back. You will wonder what it's
like to be held ‘fantastically’ while dancing with a dashing musician
and feel the thrill of a man so in love he sends mixed tapes packed with
the joy of his feelings. You will feel both the devastation of love
that is lost and the elation of love that is found.
Whether you are looking for a book affirming love's magical powers or
need a nudge towards happiness without being dunked in it you will be
smitten by these stories.
Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Round-Up
22 hours ago
It is on my Christmas List!!!!!
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