Several years ago I purchased Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead: Diaries and Letters 1929-1932 by Anne Morrow Lindbergh at a local book sale. I don't know what drew me to this book- after all, the loss of a child is said to be one of the most excruciating blows one can be dealt - I certainly didn't want to read this book for the morbid fascination... but rather to understand the story from a perspective other than the one offered by news sources.
I was very surprised what I discovered.
The first half book, Hour of Gold, followed the Lindbergh's engagement, the first few years of marriage and their flight around the world.
Charles and Anne Lindbergh were sought everywhere they went by paparazzi. They were the Beyonce and Jay- Z of their time... okay, so maybe more the flavor of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. The thing is, they did not seek the celebrity lifestyle because they wanted the attention (Jersey Shores anyone?!?!) but rather, they simply did what they loved. They explored aviation. They were pioneers in their field. Flying was rare in those days- the idea of commuter flights were just beginning to be explored and the Lindberghs were the faces of that exploration.
Flashbulbs went off everytime they opened the door. This collection of letters is sometimes written in code due to the delicate nature of their content. There was fear their letters would be intercepted, read, published. False dates of their wedding were released. They constantly tried to thwart off reporters. Their honeymoon was by boat, off the east coast.... until the press found them and made every step miserable.
This whole idea flabbergasted me. (I love that word: flabbergast!) I think sometimes we get so caught up in our own little bubble. I don't think I ever thought that each generation had their own celebrities- people the normal, boring masses worshipped, adored... If you think about it- the idea gets even crazier! There was no Perez Hilton back then, no Twitter, no blogging or even CBS Evening News. These people were stalked purely for good old fashioned newspapers! Sometimes the news came several days LATER! There was no instant gratification in terms of celebrity news. We get upset if our favorite blogger doesn't get the news to us right away. The Lindbergh's were watched, stalked, and scrutinized with that same ferociousness that our modern day celebrities face! Isn't that a strange thought?!?!
The second half of this book, Hour of Lead, follows the Lindbergh's after their oldest child was kidnapped and brutally murdered. These letters, written to various family members and friends truely express the depth of despair this young family felt. But what I found so encouraging was the transformation they went through- TOGETHER. Many families go through tragedies, in this day and age, and fall apart. This family was strengthened and came out stronger. I think partially this had to do with the fact they had to explore "why" this horrible thing happened. Had they not been in the public eye- it certianly would have turned out differently. But had they not had that shared interest of aviation- they may never have been a couple to start with and would never have found that deep undying love they shared.
This whole book shook me a bit in a way I wasn't prepared for. It had nothing to do with the love story that was shared with me, or the intimate thoughts I read, from a mother mourning her child but rather the idea that we will not have these records for our future generations. Will this blog be around in 100 years? Preserved on the internet? Printed out for someone's personal records? Will all the text messages we save still be around? In an age where we fall in love via texting and phone calls and facebook and myspace, I'm afraid we're losing all record of our personal transactions. We'll have no proof of the journeys we take. We only have what is in our heads and hearts. I think that is a pity.
Overall I think this was a really touching collection of letters and I'm glad
that, in her later years, Mrs. Lindbergh decided to share such an intimate look at her story. It was all truly fascinating- from their flight over the orient to their search for a new guard dog. I think though- the lesson in all this is that even through tragedy- we can come out better people. Something Anne said (shortly after the discovery of Charles Jr.'s body) on June 20, 1932 has stuck with me and I'd like to share it with you."I have taken, all my life, from family, friends, and the social organization and have not given anything back. And I must not wait for perfect conditions before I try to give back. I've had a good enough chance and have only procrastinated.
You can best give probably by carrying out what you specialized in at college, or if you don't want to do that, do something else but make up your mind and do something, something constructive."
Read this book. Pain is universal. Trauma is universal... but so is strength. This story proves it.
4/52 Books
1261 Pages Read.
Very interesting. May want to read it! Never really thought of the fact that today's correspondence will probably be lost forever. That's a shame. We still do need to share our thoughts throught written words.
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