Page 71 of Kate & Frida

Frida Rodriguez ... En Route

July 28, 1994

Paris, France

Fair Kate,

I cried when I read your letter. It must be agonizing for moms to wait for their children to finally realize they’re Human Beings. We’re lucky. Our Human Beings are turning out to be better than we ever could have expected. I finally took your advice and sent my writing to Mom. After she finished freaking out about the library fire and what happened to Branka, she did the most amazing thing. She called her cookbook editor at Random House in New York. Then she sent her some of my pages. The result? Mary Ward-Porter LOVES what I’m doing. She says I definitely have a book and even better, the most appealing part of said book is Me-Myself-I. She says I’m original and universal which is apparently a dream combo for a writer!

I have so much work ahead of me figuring out what I want to say. I know it will be about Sarajevo and Smurfette and growing up and spreading joy. You’ll need to help me corral it since every time I turn around, something new happens that I want to write about. Like Mom’s last letter. She said she wishes she could let herself into her writing the way I do, but when she tries she feels herself resisting because school drilled it into her that the journalist is never part of the story – then she asked if I’ll help her try to write something more personal!

MY editor suggested the title Life in Flight . Can’t you see it in a big stack at The Puget Sound Book Company? Life in Flight by Immy Frida Rodriguez. I’m considering using my full name. What do you think?

Blissfully yours,

Frida