Books as Bridges to the Cold War and Beyond: A Chat with Author
Gayle Rosengren

Author Gayle Rosengren’s newest novel for middle grade readers, Cold War on Maplewood Street, is set in the United States during the Cold War era. In an interview with Brightly, Gayle shares why she used the Cuban Missile Crisis as a backdrop for her book, names her dream historical pen pal, and talks about the invaluable role that books play in having great conversations with children.

Cold War on Maplewood Street takes place, as its title indicates, during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. What was the inspiration behind this setting? What similarities do you see between that time period and today?

The Cuban Missile Crisis is a powerful memory from my childhood — one that stands out from all the others — because it marked an end to a time when I felt the world and my home and my family were safe. Surely, growing up for today’s youngsters must be at least as disturbing. On 9/11, our sense of security was shattered forever. Since then, shootings and terrorist bombings have become almost commonplace — at movie theaters, at marathons, and what has to be most frightening of all, at schools. Today’s children have a whole new emergency scenario to add to the fire drills and air raid drills that have always been with us; they must practice drills to protect them from possible intruders with guns. The innocence of childhood ends for our children sometime in their first weeks of kindergarten. Given today’s world, how is it possible to shield our children from feeling fear? Quite simply, it isn’t, which leads me to the reason I wrote Cold War on Maplewood Street.

I wrote it as a way to demonstrate emotionally healthy ways to live with fear and still be able to live each day with joy and hope. The message that I hope readers will take from Cold War is that when they have a problem or a fear they can’t handle on their own, they should speak up to a parent or a teacher or some other adult they trust. Just talking about a worry can usually help to lessen its power at least a little. An adult can help to put a worry in perspective and shift a youngster’s focus to more positive areas in their lives — especially those areas over which they have control. We may not be able to change the world and all its disturbing realities, but we can and must provide comfort, encouragement, and hope.

Though some young readers may not be aware of the history behind the Cuban Missile Crisis, there are many other aspects to Joanna’s story that will likely feel familiar to them. What’s one thing you hope young readers will be able to relate to?

I think a lot of today’s readers will relate to Joanna coming home to an empty house, because it’s likely that moms and dads of today are working, whether they’re single parents or not. Girls may also relate to the wish to take part in activities their parents might consider them too young for, including wearing make-up and certain clothing. Girls and boys alike will surely relate to Joanna’s and her best friend Pamela’s enthusiastic response to discovering The Book, which Pamela’s older sister Marie has hidden away. Readers will almost certainly relate to Joanna’s secret envy of the most popular girl in her class, who has enough money to indulge each new fad that comes along, as well as her envy of best friend Pamela’s seemingly “perfect” life.

Joanna’s brother, Sam, is away in the Navy and he keeps in touch with her via snail mail. If you could have one historical pen pal, who would it be?

Jane Austen. She had such a great sense of humor and was such a keen observer of human nature and behavior that letters from her would have to be literary treats to be savored and read and laughed at over and over again.

If you could travel back in time to one historical period, where would you go and why?

I’m really drawn to the pioneer days of the mid to late 1800s, although it would be an enormously hard life. I think the appeal is primarily because day-to-day survival at that time required the ultimate in creativity and ingenuity. Writing books is much easier!

What’s your favorite thing you’ve read lately?

I just finished reading The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate, which is the sequel to The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly. I loved it every bit as much as I did the first book. Calpurnia is such a wonderfully rich character — so bright and yet so down to earth, so mature in some ways and so humorously childlike in others. In other words, so very real and likeable. Her devotion to those she loves, especially her big brother Henry and her Grandfather, is absolute. Her tender protectiveness of her younger brother is sweet. Her disappointment at her parents’ failure to understand her is heartbreaking. She is a seed attempting to bloom in the wrong season and soil, and I am captivated by her unquenchable spirit even in the face of her seemingly hopeless dreams. The books are delightfully entertaining yet contain a treasure trove of ideas to contemplate and discuss.

Do you remember the first “grown-up” book you borrowed or snuck around reading?

Do I! It was Peyton Place. I was 12 in 1962, and parents and society were very keen on keeping anything about “S-E-X” a secret. Romantic films ended with a chaste kiss and married couples on TV always slept separately in twin beds. Health class didn’t talk about reproduction even in high school. If a young person didn’t get his or her hands on an adult book they’d never have learned anything!

What have your children taught you about reading?

My daughters were both avid readers of fiction. My son was always more interested in nonfiction. He had a yearlong fascination with Hitler that was a bit concerning, but he did move on to other topics eventually, although they were nearly always history-related.

The main thing I learned from my children’s reading was what an incredibly valuable link it created between us. Books were bridges to great discussions. They strengthened the bond between us. And they provided a safe means of addressing sensitive topics, because we could talk about them in the third person by referencing the characters in the book and the decisions they made. Parents who don’t read at least some of the books their children read — especially during the tween and early teen years — are missing out on amazing opportunities to get to know their children better and keep the lines of communication open at a time when they are generally being shut down. Besides, it’s always fun to talk about books, and we still do it today!

Gayle Rosengren grew up in Chicago, just like her protagonist Joanna, and now lives near Madison, Wisconsin. A school Librarian for many years, she now is a full time author. Her debut, What the Moon Said, is a Junior Library Guild Selection.