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Author Carol-Anne Hossler answers some common questions about her book….
The subject of Martin Luther King Jr. comes up routinely in conversation, especially now that his birthday is a Federal holiday. During such exchanges, I am constantly asked: How did you meet him? Since he is a public figure, people are interested in him. Over the years, I realized this story was interesting to kids and adults alike; I believe that it has relevant lessons for everyone today.
I have had the idea to write this book for many years—about 22 to be exact! Once I decided to write it, I then had to research the civil rights history of that time. That research took about a year. The rest is memory that has bided its time for decades.
Many people have asked me that very question: What did Dr. King say to you? I was confident (but not completely certain) that what I remembered was what he had said. In the course of my research, however, I read many speeches that Dr. King delivered at that time; and my memories were consistent with a speech he gave in Detroit, Michigan, just prior to my meeting with him May 1964.
Yes. The photo was taken when I was about 14 years old.
I wrote Dr. King, The Rabbi, and Me: A Connecticut Journey primarily for kids who like reading diaries and have an interest in Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. When I sent my manuscript out for pre-publication review, one of the readers commented, “Interesting story about a white, middle-class adolescent of that time; but what do you think now?”
At that point I decided to add the “Postscripts from Carol-Anne, 2020” to the manuscript. These sections of the book serve as a kind of epilogue to the memoir that will appeal to adults, but also provide prompts for further discussion. I think grownups interested in teaching young students about empathy, racial awareness, social justice, and civil rights might find this book helpful as they initiate important conversations.
Dr. King, The Rabbi, and Me is available for sale online—in hardcover and paperback—at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.
