I hope you enjoy this book!

I'm afraid I didn't see the value in this play until I became involved in helping Peregrin direct it. Now, I can't say it's my favorite work, but I have learned to appreciate the craft involved in Wilder's writing.

I did some research into various terms and customs in the play. People my age or older probably don't need the historical references but, if you would like to see them, let me know. I'll send you a copy of my work.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This link -might- work.

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AfOqeiyWyVj5ZGQ1NzNmMzJfMTAyN2toazc3ZDI&hl=en

I'm including a reader's guide, too, but it may not stay with the copy I'm releasing.

I'm elated to receive a copy of the play, OUR TOWN. Thank you so much, 4Libros.

During the sixties, the high school I attended was the state's reigning drama champion. It was an amazing situation where having a part in the school play was more prestigious than being a cheerleader or quarterback.
Yes, you guessed it. The year Jordan High School produced OUR TOWN, I was on that stage, ecstatic to have the role of "Mrs. Howie Newsome." What? You don't remember that part? Well, Howie the milkman has a few lines in each act. He also attends the wedding of Emily and George, and has his wife- that's me!- sitting beside him. I attended months of rehearsals, and since I didn't have any lines of my own, I memorized everyone else's. I could have easily slipped into the role of any character in this play.

That was forty-three years ago, and seeing a copy of the play brings such a rush of happy, satisfying memories! I can't wait to read it.

Before I started to read Our Town, I decided to keep the book in its pristine condition and set it free during the birthday release of PaulsBooks. I carefully read the 78-page section titled "Afterword," and most of the 8-page "foreword" before I found I HAD to give in to the urge to grab my highlighter to mark classic lines, and get a pen to write thoughts in the margins. It was this paragraph from Donald Margulies (foreword xiii) that made me realize that this copy of Our Town had found a permanent home on my bookshelf.

"One of the many joys of teaching is that you get to introduce students to work you admire. Since you can never relieve the experience of seeing or hearing or reading a work of art for the first time, you can do the next best thing: You can teach it. And, through the discoveries your students make, you can recapture, vicariously, some of the exhilaration that accompanied your own discovery of that work long ago."

I've finished the reading guide, the foreword and afterword. This weekend I'm going to treat myself to a wonderful reading adventure with the play itself. (And yes, the words, "Welcome- or welcome back- to Our Town" are boldly highlighted in yellow.)

What an eye-opening experience I had as I read OUR TOWN. I hadn't stop to consider that my grandma status would change my perspective of the play. Most the situations and lines the immature, teenager me found so quaint and hilarious have become startling, compelling, and more than a little sad.
There are lines written in this play that seemed to leap right off the page.
I'm sure they were spoken in our high school production of OUR TOWN, but I certainly don't remember hearing them. IE: Simon Stimson stating, "That's what it was to be alive. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years." IE: The Stage Manager's observation, "You know how it is. You're twenty-one; then whisssh! you're seventy." or this example, which is my current favorite and comes from Mrs. Soames, "My wasn't life awful- and wonderful."
I know in 1966 I didn't cry buckets of tears during the third act, but I sure couldn't stop the flow today. Emily's right. We don't understand!

I've found a DVD of a performance of the play. I'm going to watch it and do a read-along next week. I'll add another entry then.

I watched a DVD presentation of OUR TOWN yesterday afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Paul Newman's interpretation of the stage manager, and liked hearing the printed lines come to life through the voices of the other actors and actresses. However, I experienced a few sobering moments when I realized a deeper meaning to parts of the play. I reread the book last night, and am still haunted by Emily's question to Mrs. Gibbs, "They don't understand, do they?"

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

My best friend in high school played the part of Mrs. Soames. She is now a high school English teacher. I am sending the book to her. I'm interested in knowing about her experience with OUR TOWN forty-three years later.

For the first time in my life, I woke up crying. It was about two weeks ago. I teach in a school where our student body is 61% minority and resource students. Challenging to say the least. Most of our students come from low income homes. I could tell you very sad stories. We haven't ever reached AYP, Annual Yearly Progress. They keep sending new administrators and district personnel who come to our school to help us "improve our test scores". Although they don't ever say it, there's a strong implication that we aren't good teachers. I have taught there for 23 years, among incredible professionals, and grief was my emotional response as I woke up for yet another day of discouragement.

After I woke up crying, I yelled, "Prove to me that my life has meant something." I don't know if it could be considered a prayer, coming from such anger.

When I got to school, there was a box waiting for me. I recognized the name immediately, although I hadn't seen it in years... I ripped open the box to find Our Town, a story from years ago. It's been 43 years since I was in high school? Amazing.

I cried as I read the note from Clare. I cried as I read random passages from the book. Seemingly small every day moments. That's what it's about.

I haven't finished reading the whole book. But I've started to pay more attention to my life. Hector came in to my room today. He was in my ESL (English as a Second Language) class last year. He wanted to come by my room today to tell me he thinks he passed his UBSCT Writing Test today. He also told me that it's his birthday. I gave him a Halloween pencil.

My life is rich.

It was a rewarding experience to read DeEtta's response online and to receive a personal letter from her, too. I'm going to send this copy to Christie, a student director of our high school production of OUR TOWN. Hopefully, she will have the time and desire to read it and write a response on BookCrossing.

Christie returned this book recently and said, "It certainly calls up memories of old times, doesn't it?"

I am participating in Booklady331's ABC Bookbox (Already Been Crossed) and will be including this book.

Arrived today by way of the ABC (Already Been Crossed) Bookbox.