Wednesday, March 20, 2013

"Migrant Mother" in new novel by Marisa Silver

On Tuesday night, I attended an interview with Marisa Silver who has recently authored a new novel, "Mary Coin" about the subject of the famous "Migrant Mother" picture from the dust bowl days in the '30's.  Marisa read from her book and then was interviewed by Meghan O'Rourke at the Aloud program at the L.A. Central Library.  The original photo was take by Dorothea Lange and the real name of the woman is Florence Thompson.  Silver did research on Thompson and the photographer, changed their names and developed a story about their lives. 

Evidently, Florence Thompson chose to remain anonymous until the last weeks of her life when she needed money for medical issues.  Over $30,000 was contributed by individuals which helped pay for her medical costs and her burial.

"Mary Coin" sounds like an interesting book.  Marisa Silver is a focused writer of fiction whose mind develops stories of how people must of felt and the motivations of their behavior.  She wrote this novel in 3 years.

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