Late in her presentation at Clinton Elementary school, Laurie Halse Anderson had a question for the students.
“Did you know that you are the smartest generation?” the author asked. “I think you guys are going to be the ones that make this country what it was always meant to be.”
Anderson, a New York Times bestselling author, visited Clinton last week as part of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s annual Big Read. The theme for this year’s event is “Eve of the Revolution,” with various educational events centered around works of literature depicting the Revolutionary War era.
Anderson, who has written numerous books on the subject, spoke to the students about not only the Revolutionary time period but how it relates to the present, as well as the writing process, in general.
As the country’s 250th birthday arrives, she said, it’s especially valuable for students to understand its origins.
“This generation of young people, they’re the most important ones,” she said afterward. “If we can begin to get them curious about our history and then, maybe, even excited about our history, the better foundation they have with historical knowledge, the more prepared they will be for leading our country forward.”
Anderson in her presentation painted a picture of the time period that included not only historical events but also the more relatable elements that molded the temperature of the time, such as the impact of smallpox.
“I was always more interested in, what were ordinary families going through? What were the kids going through in this time period?” she said, noting each of her four books on the era “looks at ordinary kids caught in an extraordinary world, and how they dealt with that.”
Clinton Principal Dr. David Scott said Anderson also discussed civics, further marrying how historical knowledge can be applied moving forward in today’s world.
“It’s very important for what we want for our children,” he said. “We want our children to be good stewards, we want them to be good community members and they need to understand civics.”
The students were able to ask questions, with several centered on her process as an author and organizing ideas to stay on track. Each left the presentation with a copy of her American Revolution picture book “Independent Dames,” courtesy of the Poughkeepsie library district. It and another of Anderson’s books, “Chains,” were picked by the library as the Children’s Read for this year’s Big Read, and Anderson’s newest book, “Rebellion 1776” is one of two Teen Reads, along with a graphic novel titled “Alexander Hamilton,” by Jonathan Hennessey.
“To see the author, have a conversation with the author, I think it gives them a feeling of connection and a love of reading,” Scott said.