I admit, I don’t usually do much in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But I recently read a great book that seems appropriate for today: my boss gave me And The Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman for Christmas, and I loved it. I didn’t really know much about Maira Kalman, but I should have! She is an Israeli-born New York artist and author of children’s books.
And the Pursuit of Happiness is like a picture book for adults about democracy in the United States. Kalman reflects on her favorite people who helped shape the nation with beautiful language, photographs, and of course, artwork. (MLK isn’t featured at length, but he is celebrated alongside Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama.) She also intermittently includes an awesome illustration of food.
It seems a bit rare these days for art and patriotism to go together so harmoniously. I found this book very inspiring!
npr interviewed her recently. you can listen to it, or read the article is here:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/11/131251782/a-love-letter-to-america-in-quirky-illustrations
but the article doesn’t do her quirkiness justice, you should def listen to the interview (if you haven’t already) if you get a chance! i totally dig her!
I finished reading that a week or so ago. My mother-in-law sent it to my husband to read but I commandeered it. I totally agree that it was fabulous.
Just what I’ve been yearning for. Thanks for the recommendation.
And here’s a fun interview with Colbert:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/363667/october-28-2010/maira-kalman