Leaving shortly for a videotaped interview at Barnes & Noble (which will be available on their website... And yesterday I did one at Time for Kids, the junior version of Time Magazine, and that will be on THEIR website...they use kid reporters, mine a charming 11-year-old named Sarah) Then tonight I go out to long Island to speak at a teachers' conference before heading home tomorrow.
Here is a truly New York Moment:
Yesterday, on arriving, my hotel room wasn't ready yet so I went out for a walk. When I encountered a drugstore I remembered that I needed dental floss so headed inside but was stopped at the door by a 25-ish African American man wearing a Yankees sweatshirt, who asked me for money by saying, "I'm from Afghanistan."
I declined politely and went in the store, but as I looked for the dental floss department I was thinking about him. From Afghanistan? Why no accent, then? And he didn't look Afghani. Well, might he have meant that he had been in Afghanistan with the military? Made more sense. And if that were true, I certainly wished him well, although I still wasn't inclined to give him money.
I paid for my stuff and headed out of the store, and there he was again, again asking for money, and again I shook my head no and said, "Sorry." His reply: "Well, God bless you anyway, cheap bitch!"
Two anonymous emails this morning through the website, one telling me to rot in hell, and the other that The Giver should be burned. So I have had altogether too many bad vibes sent my way in the past 24 hours. But the sun is shining and it feels like spring! So it is hard even to be irritated.
Sunshine does seem to alleviate most irritations, I find. I'm sending you good vibes, especially since I believe it's your birthday tomorrow. (Mine is the day after: used to be the first day of Spring, but now your day wears the mantle. Is there such a thing as "calendar envy?")
Posted by: Michael G-G | March 19, 2010 at 10:00 AM
Sometimes I think rudeness comes in waves, and it sounds like you're in the middle of one. I hope you encounter some politeness/good cheer soon to balance out!
Posted by: annie | March 19, 2010 at 11:14 AM
Did you ever read a story by Shirley Jackson--the title is something like "An Ordinary Day With Peanuts..." anyway, it's about a man who walks around the city being nice to everyone, he babysits, matchmakes for a cute couple, basically assists people in every way possible and hands out peanuts. Then he goes home to his wife who has spent her day being awful, getting people fired, etc. At the end of the story, they decide to switch roles for the next day. Anyway, if you need some metaphorical peanuts, check this out: http://givesmehope.tumblr.com/
Posted by: Beth DeGeer | March 19, 2010 at 12:31 PM
Hang in there, Lois! There's a lot of good energy heading your way every single day. And you are neither cheap nor a "B"!
Here's a wish for good reading, good writing, good eating, and good traveing!
Posted by: Portia Pennington | March 19, 2010 at 07:46 PM
I am studying for my MLS (Library Science degree) and in one of my courses we had to select an award winning author to study, I chose you. As a child and now as an adult The Giver is one of my favorite books. The thought of all these people suggesting it be burned makes me sick. It simply perpetuates the book-less society that exists within its pages. So for good vibes know you are one of my favorite authors and I have not been disappointed by anything I read by you. :)
Ashley Barrineau
Posted by: Ashley Barrineau | March 20, 2010 at 12:11 AM
The Giver burned!!?? No way! I am a teacher, and my students love it.
As for New York, don't take it personally. I grew up there and isolated incidents like that were a part of life. In fact, I chose some of them to put in my writing. My students love to hear about them.
Posted by: MJ Banyi | March 22, 2010 at 08:28 AM
An exchange student once toured the US following his graduation and observed that it's customary throughout the US for strangers to wish each other a nice day. Except in New York. Where, he noted, pragmatic New Yorkers understood that if you wanted to have a nice day you wouldn't be in New York. That's a bit severe, I think. And I'm also a bit surprised you received that level of rudeness. Here's a good vibe sent your way from neighboring NJ.
Posted by: Bill Kemps | March 22, 2010 at 05:49 PM
Oh my. Still sending good vibes your way! I suppose all the negativity can make for interesting story-telling. ;) Just found your blog by way of a listserv msg about the dedication in your new Birthday Ball book. I'll now be checking in on your blog every now and again to see what you're up to! I went to a Christian Science school and thank God our English assignments included a hearty portion of banned and challenged books like yours! The Giver was life-altering (in a passionately good way), and I could not imagine my life not having read this book. My original copy, yellowed with age, has been with me through high school, college, multiple apartments over the years, and is now settled again on my bookshelf in my house. I can't recall which of your books I read first (back in the early 90's) but I'm pretty sure I was hooked on you after reading my first Lois Lowry. :) Beyond the assigned literature for school, I went to the library and read more of your stuff. Amazing. You still are one of my most favorite authors! :)
Posted by: M. Aguilar, Librarian in Los Angeles | March 23, 2010 at 01:45 PM
As a high school student, it's inspiring to learn about people like you. I spend half an hour choosing an outfit in the morning and feel discouraged if, at the end of the day, I haven't received any compliments. You are insulted three times in one day and still hold your head high. You're an inspiration to all.
P.S. whoever sent those anonymous emails truly are either deranged or addicted to something. Your books are so enlivening that I just had to look up a synonym for "inspiring" on thesaurus.com. I've chosen The Giver as the subject of my Junior Research Paper, and after weeks of research this is the first essay of my high school career that I'm actually excited to write. Bravo!
Posted by: Taylor Deane | March 29, 2010 at 05:40 PM
Not to pressure you, but I'd love a direct quote to use for my paper, if you could. And if there's no response I'll understand. How does your book, The Giver, reflect American society of the time in which it was written?
Posted by: Taylor Deane | March 29, 2010 at 06:48 PM
If you need a reply, it is preferable to email me directly, by clicking on "email me" on my website.
Posted by: Lois Lowry | March 31, 2010 at 08:48 AM