A couple of weeks ago an ad in the newspaper wishing Emily Bott a happy 90th birthday caught our attention.
"My goodness," we thought, "the Silver Streak is entering her 10th decade."
For those of you who don't know her, Emily Bott is a prolific essayist and column writer. She also raised seven children on her own here on Maui. Her essays are usually humorous, sometimes sentimental, always entertaining and unfailingly touching.
Her column "Silver Streak" appeared for years in the Haleakala Times.
In any event, after seeing the notice in the newspaper, we called Emily to wish her a happy birthday. Then, lo and behold, a couple of days later a book showed up on our desk:
"Silver Streak Revisited A Collection of Essays, Adventures and Misadventures"
Emily's stories span all the way from a little girl recognizing Santa Claus' handwriting as the same as her Dad's to a much older version of the same girl getting a new hip. Her Maui tales range from her car being swallowed in the parking lot of a local shopping center to the joys of working at a Salvation Army kettle.
Just as she has you roaring laughing with her inability to bake bread, she turns around and puts you in tears with the story of her brother Eddy's death in World War II. She is left wondering what Eddy's kids would have looked like.
Emily has done a little bit of everything. She has been in business, been a volunteer in the emergency room and helped the Maui County Police Department with their Mock Crimes Training Program. And, of course, she has written about all these adventures.
Now, the editorial page may be a strange place for a book review but we figure our readers need to know when there is some good news, too. The release of "Silver Streak Revisited" is news worth sharing.
For hours' worth of entertainment, get your copy of "Silver Streak Revisited" at: www.creastespace.com/3820034 or www.amazon.com.
* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.
