Not long ago I was speaking with a group of teachers about Imogene’s Last Stand. “Is the book autobiographical?” one of them asked.
I was stumped.
Autobiographical?
I’d never thought about it before.
“Uh, no,” I finally stammered. “Not really…. Well, not entirely… Uh… Well…um…”
The thing is, Imogene and I do have an awful lot in common. For instance:
Imogene adores American history. So do I.
Imogene often quotes famous figures from the past. So do I.
When Imogene was in the second grade, she dressed up as Paul Revere for Halloween. When I was in the second grade, I dressed up as Betsy Ross for Halloween.
But most importantly, Imogene cares passionately about saving our historic places. So do I. Both of us understand that if we wish to have a future with greater meaning, we must protect our heritage—those places, papers, artifacts—that reflect where we came from and where we’re going. We must preserve our past as a living part of our present. Or, in the immortal words of Imogene Tripp, “Don’t let your past get smashed!”
Autobiographical?
You decide.
One Response
I’d say subconsciously, yes, Imogene is based on you!