Community Connection
by Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito
Fifty-four years after they went to jail for sitting at a whites-only lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the eight surviving members of the Friendship Nine are returning to court to have their convictions vacated. Their new day in court came in no small measure from a children’s book, No Fear For Freedom: The Story of the Friendship 9, and the efforts of its author, Kimberly Johnson. “These men were treated as criminals, but they’re not,” she says. “What they did is really powerful and right.” […]
Features
by Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito
With more than 3 million copies of his books sold, Tim O’Brien, 67, is known for his thought-provoking stories that use the Vietnam War as a backdrop for exploring the bigger questions in life. Becoming a dad has changed Tim’s view of the world—and his writing. Although Vietnam still invades his stories, even those he tells his boys (Timmy, 10, and Tad, 8), Tim now sees life through soccer games, magic shows, and a tree house window. His current project is a book about being an older dad. […]
Readers Write
by Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito
The right dinner guest can make an evening meal more entertaining and, sometimes, even provide life lessons for a family. Sarah Smiley decided to invite a different person to dinner each week for the year her Navy husband was deployed. But it was the night she and her three young sons were unexpectedly invited to dine with a couple at an assisted living center that made her realize how much a dinner invitation can change the way you see the world. […]
