UNICEF book of children's legends Book

The universe found a way to get this book into my hands at just the right moment, and for that bit of magic I am grateful.

As I write this, I have been quarantined at home for eight weeks. The other night, weary from reading depressing news articles about the pandemic and American politics, and also tired from worrying and generally feeling that everything is terrible, I set aside my iPhone, with its addictive subscriptions to The New York Times and The Washington Post, and instead grabbed a copy of "Two Old Women" from my pile of library books. The paperback was well-worn; it has been repaired with book tape several times, and the due-date card in the front shows nearly 50 checkouts in the last 15 years. The reason this book was brought to my attention in the first place was because a library employee asked me if we should replace it, considering the poor shape it was in.

That conversation about the damaged book happened back in early February ' back before I had ever heard the terms "social distancing" or "flatten the curve," back when the NCAA tournament and South by Southwest and even the baseball season were all still on schedule, back when I was still considering whether to plan a trip over spring break in mid-March. I remember looking at the book, with its aqua-blue cover and a drawing of two people sitting in a kind of teepee, and reading its subtitle: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival. And I had that feeling that I sometimes get when I hold a book in my hands ' there was a voice in me saying that I needed to read this book, that I needed to WAKE UP and pay attention to what it has to teach me, and it felt as if this bound collection of pages and drawings had willed itself into existence for this very moment.

And so, trusting that feeling, I checked out the well-worn book and took it home, thinking I would find time for it some weekend, or maybe over spring break. And it sat in the library pile, patiently waiting for me while the world changed. Suddenly I needed to stock up on several weeks of groceries, set up a work space on my kitchen table, transition my in-person class to an online class, and I still had to manage my employees and my library budget and try not to get Zoomed-out during all of those Zoom meetings.

Meanwhile, I was neglecting my pile of library books. I was so focused on work and teaching my class and worrying about the state of the world that I didn't think I had room in my brain to read a book. But then I hit my breaking point the other night and I picked up the aqua-blue library book on top of the pile. I was immediately transported to the Alaskan wilderness, making me forget about my current woes. Now I was focused on the plight of two old women who were abruptly abandoned by their tribe because there wasn't enough food to go around.


"The council and I have arrived at a decision." The chief paused as if to find the strength to voice his next words. "We are going to have to leave the old ones behind." ...

The two women sat old and small before the campfire with their chins held up proudly, disguising their shock. In their younger days they had seen very old people left behind, but they never expected such a fate. They stared ahead numbly as if they had not heard the chief condemn them to a certain death ' to be left alone to fend for themselves in a land that understood only strength. Two weak old women stood no chance against such a rule. The news left them without words or action and no way to defend themselves.


I love wilderness stories, tales about people surviving incredible ordeals, legends about how a person's mettle is tested. This is one of those books, and I was so engrossed I read it in one sitting. The journey of these women was gripping and inspiring, and it was accompanied by some striking black-and-white illustrations that showed the stark challenges the two women faced out on their own in Alaska. Reading it, I felt as if I were sitting around a campfire, listening to my ancestors pass down the legend of these amazing women who didn't realize how strong and capable they were.


"Stories are gifts given by an elder to a younger person."


This is a book that restored my faith in the human spirit when I needed it most. Highly recommended.