“84 Charing Cross Road” By Helene Hanff

Last weekend, news reports out of Ethiopia detailed a failed military coup attempt by a renegade general that left several people dead in the cities of Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar. It was in the city of Bahir Dar that the gunmen killed local president Ambachew Mekonnen and his top advisor. My 24-year-old daughter Charlotte is currently living in the city of Bahir Dar on a graduate school research assignment. Immediately after the assassinations, the Internet for the entire country went dark, along with nearly all communication. “Failed coup attempt,” “assassinations” and even “dark Internet” are certainly not words a mother likes to read while her daughter is abroad. So I did what I always do when I am anxious: I started writing. I wrote to two of her public health program professors at Emory, and then I wrote to her friend Jeremy as well as her dad. Immediately emails started filling my inbox from more than a dozen people, including the assistant dean at Emory, who gave me her private cell phone number and said I could call her 24/7. All of the emails were compassionate, and appropriately addressed my fears. I was so worried, but also so impressed with Emory’s sense of community and communication. The only person who did not email me back was Charlotte’s dad, but I think he probably figures I worry enough for both of us, so he didn’t need to respond. We learned that Charlotte was safe, and not scared, so then I started to calm down. When I finally spoke with her on the phone recently, she said she did not want to leave and was having the time of her life. A few days later the country turned the Internet back on. All was stable for the moment, and again, writing had saved my sanity. This week I wanted to recommend a great book about a real life correspondence. “84 Charing Cross Road” follows the 20-year relationship that author Helene Hanff had with Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co antiquarian booksellers in London. First published in 1970, the book was made into a stage play and later a movie. The book always reminds me that a written letter has the power to bring people together. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.