New Books
Burlington woman releases two very different editions
By Joey Berlin
Friday, July 18, 2008
One book is a serious nonfiction work paying tribute to inspirational women. The other is a lighthearted, illustrated children’s story about a boy and his pet duckling.
Doris Johnson certainly can change things up.
The Burlington native’s second and third books, “Gutsy Women” and “The Cookie Crumb Trail,” were released last month. Johnson recently signed her books at Town Crier Bookstore, where they are now on sale, and has another signing coming up at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hartford/Elmendaro Township Library in Hartford.
“Gutsy Women” is a tribute to 16 women who have influenced Johnson’s life and, in her view, done remarkable things that impacted society. The subjects of the book aren’t famous women on whom countless keystrokes and ink ounces have been spilled — they’re women Johnson knows or knew, including relatives and close friends.
“I guess I wanted to write this book because you read so many books about First Ladies and politicians and movie stars,” Johnson said. “But these are kind of unsung heroes that are, I think, just as famous in their own right and have done remarkable things.”
Josephine Haehn, Johnson’s neighbor in Burlington until she died in 2005, is one example of a woman honored in the book. Johnson describes Haehn as a “feisty little lady” who stood up for her beliefs in the face of opposition. She’s one of several women Johnson profiles who cared for their sick husbands in their later years. Haehn took care of her husband, Elmo, after he had a major stroke in 2000 and wasn’t able to speak or walk.
“I wrote in here, that eventually took a toll on her own health,” Johnson said, “because she suffered emotionally and physically because she didn’t ever get to go out and go places very much. She just stayed right there for (him).”
Johnson believes it’s harder for young women today to acquire the traits of gutsy women because they have so many more influences outside their families — not all of which are positive. She said that in order to be gutsy, young girls need to be strong and not be afraid to speak out for their beliefs.
“Hopefully it’ll have some influence, and I hope young girls will read the book,” she said. “And maybe they don’t have to emulate the ladies in here — because that would be going back in time, pretty much — but see how they can apply it to their lives.”
“The Cookie Crumb Trail,” inspired by Johnson’s grandson, features a boy attempting to smuggle his pet duckling through the airport in his backpack so he can take the pet along on a visit to his grandma. A security screener detects the duckling and tells the boy the animal can’t go on the plane.
“So then they sit down, and they try to think about, ‘How are we going to solve this problem, can’t leave the duckling at the airport,’” Johnson said. “But while they’re waiting, they get into all these different mischievous situations, and it shows it in the book.”
The boy and his duck wander farther away from the boy’s mother, and the cookies they eat while getting into trouble all over the airport mark their path.
Johnson’s grandson, now 15, was about 6 when she conceived the idea for the book.
“And he was always chucking things away in a backpack to take with when we go on plane trips or something,” she said. “I don’t know why a duckling. I just thought that was more of an unusual pet to want to take along.”
Jennifer Taylor provided illustration for “The Cookie Crumb Trail,” which is available in both soft and hard cover from BookSurge, a division of Amazon. “Gutsy Women” was released by Trafford Publishing.