'A life in letters'
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
It's not unusual for moms to dispense advice, but the daughter of advice columnist Ann Landers may have received more than most.
From her college days at Brandeis University until her mother's death in 2002, Margo Howard received and saved hundreds of letters from her mom.
This collection - which spans four decades - is the basis for "A Life in Letters: Ann Landers' Letters to Her Only Child" (Warner Books, $22 hardcover). Howard will speak about her book at the Brandeis Book and Author Luncheon Feb. 17 (see accompanying story).
The correspondence not only reveals a strong mother-daughter relationship but also offers insight into Landers' shift in thoughts and attitudes about political and social change in America. Howard provides an introduction to many of her mother's letters, defining Yiddishims and explaining inside jokes.
Howard told Jewish News that reading through the piles of letters not only sparked memories of events, but "I had forgotten that I had even known some of those people."
She calls the book "an amazing way to relive one's own life and to understand what one's mother was really about."
Letters written by Landers - whose real name was Esther "Eppie" Lederer - to her daughter also include stories and opinions about famous people she met throughout her life, from presidents to movie stars, as well as her relationship with her twin sister, advice columnist Abigail Van Buren ("Dear Abby").
"These letters, rich in impressions and real-time feelings, can be read as an unintentional diary sent to an only child with whom there had been a lifelong intimacy," says Howard in the book's introduction. "The lack of intention to fashion a formal journal allowed for a spontaneity and emotional honesty that would have been hard to achieve in any form other than letters from home. This correspondence ... is the most meaningful thing Mother left me; it is a record of our relationship, expressing thoughts we had about ourselves and each other at any given time."
For the past five years, Howard has been dishing out advice as well, although she says her stint as "Dear Prudence" on Slate.com came "by accident" and she never intended to be an advice columnist.
"I started this really late. It's like a toy career," she says. "It's one day a week. It's not what I consider a job so it was just happenstance that she had been my mother and I was doing this kind of column."
Howard has also written for the New Republic, The Nation, People and TV Guide and was a columnist for Boston Magazine. Her newspaper career began at the Chicago Tribune, then moved to the Chicago Daily News and "Margo," her column of social commentary, was syndicated throughout the country. She has three adult children and lives in Cambridge, Mass., with her husband.
Lederer began writing as Ann Landers in her column in 1955 at Chicago's Sun-Times, then moved to the Chicago Tribune in 1987. In 1993, she appeared in more than 1,200 newspapers worldwide with 90 million readers daily, according to the Associated Press.
Did the fact that millions of readers listened to her mother's advice convince Howard that her mom had all the answers? "No," Howard quickly answers. However, "she pointed that out to me on occasion."
She refers to a letter her mom wrote to her after a 1978 World Almanac poll named Ann Landers as the most influential woman in the United States: "Dear Margo: Now will you listen to me?"
Contact the writer at leisah_namm@jewishaz.com.
Brandeis hosts literary luncheon
The 2004 Brandeis University National Women's Committee features six authors for the 14th annual Book and Author Luncheon, to be held Feb. 17 at The Phoenician.
Arizona Republic columnist Kathy Shayna Shocket will moderate.
In addition to a presentation by the authors, there will be a boutique and a silent auction.
Following is a sampling from the luncheon's literary menu.
Elizabeth Adler
"The Hotel Riviera" (St. Martin's Press, $24.95 hardcover)
Romance writer Elizabeth Adler's newest book is set on the coast of France and follows the story of Lola, who owns a small hotel-restaurant with her husband Patrick. When Patrick disappears, Lola becomes a suspect and a target for a nasty woman claiming to be Patrick's lover and is in danger of losing her hotel. Adler's other novels include "Summer in Tuscany" and "The Last Time I Saw Paris."
Sidney Blumenthal
"The Clinton Wars" (Farrar Straus & Giroux, $30 hardcover)
In his new book, Sidney Blumenthal, former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, describes the culture conflict between the left and the right during the 1990s. Blumenthal has written for the New Republic, the Washington Post and New Yorker magazine, as well as authored "The Permanent Campaign," "The Rise of the Counter-Establishment" and "Pledging Allegiance: The Last Campaign of the Cold War."
Stephen Coonts
"Liberty" (St. Martin's Press, $25.95 hardcover)
Stephen Coonts is the author of 13 New York Times bestsellers, including his first novel, "The Flight of the Intruder," published in 1986. A movie based on the novel was released in 1991.
Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a coal-mining town with a population of 6,000. He served in the Navy from 1969-1977 and practiced law before he devoted himself full-time to writing.
Joanne Harris
"Holy Fools" (William Morrow, $24.05 hardcover)
Joanne Harris is the author of "Chocolat," "Blackberry Wine," "Five Quarters of the Orange" and "Coastliners." Her newest book is set in 17th-century France and is about Soeur Augustte, living a peaceful and contented life among the nuns at the Sainte-Marie-de-la-mer convent with her daughter Fleur. After the sudden death of the Reverend Mother, a sense of restlessness and uncertainty disrupts abbey life.
Margo Howard
"A Life in Letters: Ann Landers' Letters to Her Only Child" (Warner Books, $22 hardcover)
Margo Howard, the daughter of famed syndicated columnist Ann Landers, saved letters from her mom for half a century. Using her mom's letters and comments to explain certain references, the correspondence documents the relationship between mother and daughter (see main story).
John Lescroart
"The Second Chair" (Dutton, $25.95 hardcover)
John Lescroart's newest legal thriller is about deadly secrets, privileged youth and uncertain justice. His 14 previous novels include "The First Law," "Nothing but the Truth" and "The Thirteenth Juror."
Details
- What: Brandeis Book and Author Luncheon
- Who: Brandeis University National Women's Committee, Phoenix chapter
- When: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17
- Where: The Phoenician, 6000 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale
- Cost: $75
- Call: Stacy, 602-867-3248 or Susan, 480-451-9511
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