February 2023 Book Talk with Linda Conradi

Description

Winner of the Nautilus Award and the New England Society Book Award, Monica Wood's The One-in-a-Million Boy is the incandescent story of a 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant woman and a sweet, strange 11-year old boy obsessed with Guinness world records. For seven Saturdays, the boy arrives promptly to do Ona Vitkus's yard chores, record her life story for a fifth-grade school project, and talk her into gunning for the record of Oldest Licensed Driver. On the eighth Saturday, the boy's irresponsible father arrives in his place, setting into motion a story of loss, redemption, and the astonishing connections that happen between people in the least likely circumstances.

Speaker

For as long as she can remember, Linda Conradi (C'65) has been “hooked on books.” Her earliest recollections include walking solo for several blocks toting a stack of books to and from her local public library in South Minneapolis. Reading has always been a part of her life, and she is seldom without a book in her bag. In this digital age, she carries dozens of books on her iPad. A Principia College graduate, Linda also holds a Master of Liberal Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. While employed by Principia for 18 years, Linda served in a variety of positions from editor of publications to English teacher to researcher for Principia’s centennial history book. She also conducted an extensive survey of faculty on the St. Louis campus for a report on the way character education is taught. Linda is a member of the Principia Lifelong Learning faculty, teaching courses at Summer Session.