Hi, friends:
So did you get to see the eclipse? Other than bringing a tray of cookies into the office, I had no real plans for the event, although I did borrow a coworker’s dark glasses to glimpse the partial eclipse from the Gazette’s parking lot. It was pretty cool to see, but the most incredible thing about the eclipse may have been how many times my mother texted me — from Miami— warning me not to look directly at the sun. (Thanks, Mom.)
In the hours that followed, I read quite a few articles about how, at least for one day, eclipse viewings united Americans who found common ground in their celestial wonderment. Or something like that. Sure, it was nice to get a short break from our regular news cycle, and while every community grapples with divisive issues, here in the Valley I see a lot more coming together than division.
Take, for instance, the subjects of this week’s cover story, “Passing the Test,” about the ESL & Citizenship program at Jones Library in Amherst. Volunteer Dimi DeRose has spent part of her summer helping a 27-year-old mother from Senegal, Nafie Diop Sane, learn English and get ready for her citizenship test. The two women now have a friendly, familiar rapport that shines through the story on page 12. When Marietta Pritchard pitched the article to me, I jumped at the chance to assign it to her, a former Gazette editor and a fine writer who I knew would deliver a piece both eloquent and information-packed.
It’s also about a subject close to my heart — maybe to yours, too — welcoming new immigrants into our country. I wrote a book about a high school for recent immigrants and refugees, “The New Kids,” and the students I met there not only changed my outlook; they changed me. At the time, I remember thinking that a few of the kids who shared their stories with me were some of the most patriotic people I knew — they appreciated this country in a way that I hadn’t, having been born here and taken certain freedoms for granted. Especially now, with so much anger and resentment among Americans, I find inspiration in their journeys, hope in their hope.
I thought about making this a special issue devoted to welcoming newcomers. But I decided not to. Maybe it’s best that there’s nothing “special” about such coverage — it should be ongoing, not contained in a single issue. I hope we run many stories about new Americans.
That said, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks a few weeks ago upon seeing a special window display up at Broadside Bookshop, featuring their non-profit of the month: Welcome Home Northampton in partnership with the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program (see photo).
The display has since come down, but I urge you to find and read some of the featured books, including a few that have stayed with me over the years: “What Is the What” by Dave Eggers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman, and “Strength In What Remains” by the Valley’s own Tracy Kidder.
Also timely and topical: “The Book of Unknown Americans,” an immigrant love story by Cristina Henríquez, who will talk about her novel from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Monday, September 4, at John M. Greene Hall, at Smith College, in an event open to the public.
But we’re still in August, the most boring month, according to columnist Bruce Watson. Even our super-hardworking and trusty arts writer Steve Pfarrer managed to get away for a little vacation. Before he left, he filed an article about what he’s currently reading, on page 6.
Finally, speaking of readers, ours are very observant. Ellie Skinner brought to my attention an error in the “Art Maker” column, and my letter, in last week’s issue of Hampshire Life. She says: “I can’t speak to ‘The Midnight Pearl’ dessert Sally Clegg referred to in your Art Maker column, but I can tell you both that Miss Saigon is a wonderful Vietnamese Restaurant in Amherst, not Thai as you reported last week.”
I just checked in with the artist, who said the restaurant she was thinking of was actually Siam Square in Northampton (it is now closed). Sometimes we miss things that seem obvious in hindsight!
Brooke Hauser