Bel Kaufman Talks About Her First 100 Years

I got this e-mail yesterday from Laura DeSilva of Open Road Integrated Media and enjoyed watching the video of Bel Kaufman, at 101, discussing her early years and what convinced her to become a teacher. Thought you would find it interesting as well.  She's certainly an inspiration to all of us crones.  I suspect her optimistic outlook, despite early challenges,  was a major factor in her longevity.

 Bel Kaufman sitting on the knee of her grandfather, the famous Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem

Hi Joan,

I'm writing because I loved your "crone of the week" piece on Bel Kaufman in July, and I thought you might be interested in the news that on September 18, 2012, Open Road Integrated Media will launch the first ebook edition of Bel Kaufman's Up the Down Staircase, bringing "the most popular novel about U.S. public schools in history" (Time) to new generations of readers.

 

One of the very special facets of this debut is our new video interview with Ms. Kaufman. At 101 years old, she exhibits the same warmth and wit that made her such an unforgettable teacher and champion of education - and she offers a bit of inspiration for today's teachers, I think. I'm so pleased to share the video with you, here: http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/bel-kaufman.aspx. If it moves you, I hope you'll consider sharing it with your friends and readers. 

 

Kaufman is also the author of Love, etc. (1979), a powerful, haunting, and poignant novel rendering life as fiction. Open Road Media will release Love, etc. on September 18, with La Tigresse and This and That! to follow on October 30.