"My Father told me that every object in the world has a story to tell."
Quote from "The China"
I've been working on my older age historical fiction picture book children's book "The China." It's the story of a young girl, her father, and a china cup with a story behind it. The young girl discovers the history behind the cup and understands her father much more than she did before. The back research on it has been extensive. Pictures books are not always for very young children and are being used more and more in the higher grades to teach history or a biography about a person's life. Sometimes I get frustrated with working on it because it is a difficult subject. I wonder if I can do it justice and handle it with the sensitivity it deserves. Then I remember my Grandfather talking to me about his World War II experiences. They were a part of his life and meant so much to him. My Grandfather was a quiet man who loved the simple joys in life. He was also a very private man who did not express his feelings although he deeply felt them. Many years ago, he was in the hospital and he knew he was dying of Cancer. He was very subdued that day and he started to talk about his World War II experiences. It was as if they burst out of him. He very rarely talked about his war experiences to his family. I think it brought up memories that were difficult for him to express in words. On this particular day, he seemed to want to tell someone a part of his life.
My Grandfather grew up very quickly in World War II times. He had lived through the Great Depression and dropped out of high school to join the Navy. He was too young so his step-father had to sign him in. Even though he struggled through the poverty of the Great Depression and World War II, he was never bitter about his life. He told me that he had a great life and he was proud of his wife and children. He told me that he was in occupied Japan right after World War II ended and that it had been a profound and lasting experience. He had never been to another country before. He also had never seen human devastation on a scale that large. He said people that were suffering from dysentery, typhoid, and war injuries and many were on the streets because they had no homes. There was a lack of food and many people were suffering the effects of that. He said that people were trying to give the soldiers their children as they got off the boat because they couldn't feed and take care of them. Seeing the children suffer was the hardest for him. He was very upset and had some tears when he talked about it and he told me "that war should never be allowed by any nation." He said that when it came to children, it didn't matter what side you were on. It deeply affected all of the soldiers there. If I can convey half of what he told me that day, I'll consider myself very lucky indeed.
I'm also working on another book about the Kindertransport that saved children from the Nazi terror. I'm still doing the research and it's pretty extensive. One of the best sites for teaching children about the holocaust is at the Holocaust Museum website. Their link is:
http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/. It's an excellent site and deals with a difficult time in human history in a sensitive manner. Although geared for teachers, there is a lot of information that parents could use too. One reason I've been working on the Kindertransport book is that I can't imagine putting your child on a train and knowing that it's unlikely that you'll ever see them again. It must have been a horrendous decision but a very noble and unselfish one for a parent to make. As I researched it, I wondered how the children must have felt and how frightened they must have been.
The main reason I write historical fiction, especially about wartime situations is that I'm concerned because of the many conflicts and war in the world today, and I desperately hope that the human race can find other ways to deal with situations. Maybe that's a simple way of thinking but I can't help it. I still believe we can overcome the detestation of war. This quote by Peace Activist Kathy Kelly describes how I feel about war:
"At it's core, war is impoverishment. War's genesis and ultimate end is in the poverty of our hearts. If we can realize that the world's liberation begins within those troubled hearts, then we may yet find peace...What good has ever come from the slaughter of the innocent."
So I'll continue on with my books and I know that I'll still struggle with the words and the artwork. For my Grandfather and what he lived through, it's a very small price.
Although these are both difficult subjects to write and illustrate, I think that they are subjects that need to be talked about for the sake of future generations. When I'm working on the books, I try to put myself in these character's lives. It sometimes is overwhelming to me when you think how people all over the world survived under the extreme circumstances that occurred during World War II. I often think I need my Grandfather's wisdom more now as an adult than I did when I was younger. He loved quietly but deeply, and never complained even near the end of his life. He also never took life for granted and he had a compassionate heart for those in need. I'm quiet like my Grandfather and reserve my feelings in public. But I'm firm in my artistic vision that all of the arts are important and help express life experiences. It took me many years to realize that art does not need to have a large voice to make an impact. It's in one's life every day in quiet and ordinary ways, and often comes to you when you least expect it. That is what "The China" is about. One experience on a ordinary day that had a profound impact on a person's life.
I think that most artists have doubts when they're working on a project. It's an inevitable part of the process but it's one of the things that I love most about creating art. It makes me work harder and strive for the artistic vision that I have for the art piece. One of the hardest things for me is wondering if the public will accept the piece of work. But I think the older I get, I'm just concerned with the creation part of art. Even if I'm never published, I'll be happy to have created these two works. "The China" has lived inside me for many years now and I want to complete it but not for myself. I want to complete it for my Grandfather who lived so many years with his unspoken war experiences. I've had a couple of rough years but like my Grandfather, I'll never be bitter. I love being an artist! I'll take the hard knocks that come with it. I'll do my best to live life with the grace and dignity that my Grandfather did. I'll work on these two projects even with the struggle and the doubts. So with frustration aside, I'll continue on.
