Atlanta Senior Life - Book Festival of the MJCCA 2022

Andrew Young has lived quite a story, as he and co-writer Ernie Suggs tell it

By Logan Ritchie

Whether Ernie Suggs is writing the news or writing a book, he says at the end of the day, it’s all about telling good stories.

Suggs, a 25-year journalist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who covers race and culture, is the author of “The Many Lives of

Andrew Young.” The book is a fullcolor, visual biography of former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, known for his role in the Civil Rights movement and the fight for human rights.

“The Many Lives of Andrew Young” was released in March, when Young celebrated his 90th birthday. Each chapter is dedicated

to a different story from Young’s life; from his encounters with the Nazi party growing up in New Orleans and the Ku Klux Klan in south Georgia to two transformational terms as mayor of Atlanta. Each chapter is full of vibrant memories.

“He was able to kind of pinpoint that moment in his life where

Continued on page 12

Writer Ernie Suggs helps explore 'The Many Lives of Andrew Young'

Young understands the importance of his legacy, Suggs said. On the tour, Suggs learns something from him every day.

“It's amazing to see the reaction that he gets when he's on tour, whether it's from Black people, white people, young, old. Everyone seems to know him. Everyone seems to respect him,” Suggs said.

decent writer, which I think I am, you figure out what the stories are and tell the stories,” Suggs said.

everything changed. With all the things that Andy Young has done, everyone forgets that he pastored a

church in Thomasville, Ga., before he met Martin Luther King, Jr., before he was a U.N. ambassador or the mayor of Atlanta,” recalled Suggs.

The book took about a year from conception to publication. Because Young lived such a public life, materials for the book were easily obtained. And it helped that Suggs had written about Young extensively.

“Andy Young had a really good story to tell. And if you are a halfway

Spoiler alert: Suggs is not “a halfway decent writer;” he’s an award-winning writer. He’s a Harvard University Nieman fellow. During his career with the AJC, Suggs has become a local resource and historian on the Civil Rights movement. He wrote a series on HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) and curated Black content into a weekly newsletter called Unapologetically ATL with colleague Nedra Rhone.

Unapologetically ATL launched in 2021 as a project to attract Black readers.

“We still need to make sure that African Americans’ voices are heard in the paper because they play a significant role in how the city and region are taking shape. Atlanta is at the vanguard of Black culture in America,” said Suggs.

Book Festival Information

Andrew Young and Ernie Suggs are scheduled to appear for an author talk and booksigning on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, starting at 8 p.m. The event is scheduled for MJCCA Zaban Park, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets cost $20 for MJCCA members and $27 for non-members. Books will be available for purchase. Masks are optional but encouraged. For more information: atlantajcc.org/ bookfestival or 678-812-4005.

Ernie Suggs is scheduled to appear at the Decatur Book Festival on Oct. 1 as part of a panel discussion of Georgia politics past and present. Atlanta JournalConstitution cartoonist Mike Luckovich and political reporter Greg Bluestein are also to take part in the 9:30 a.m. discussion. The festival is being held at First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairemont Avenue. Sessions are free and open to the public. Masks are required for indoor events. For more information: decaturbookfestival.com

Continued from page 11

From cleaning out his family’s attic to facing ‘Hoarders,’ Matt Paxton loves decluttering

and draws from Paxton’s experiences in working with thousands of people and families over the past two decades.

“My [maternal] grandfather always said to me, if something sucks, do it as a job because other people will pay you to do it,” Paxton said. “Twenty-two years later, I’m still doing it, and I love it. It’s just fascinating to me.”

interested in your vintage clothing or something that has a great backstory, he says.

That family shocker Paxton found in the tackle box was a wedding certificate with a backstory he’ll never forget. He found it while helping his dad’s mother clean out her house.

doing some quick math Paxton tried to hide it. But his grandmother grabbed it and, in that moment, learned that her mother, who made her wait, had married at 14, Paxton said.

By Donna Williams Lewis

Matt Paxton was just 23 years old when he began to lose the family men in his life.

His father passed away first. Over the next 18 months, he lost his stepfather and both of his grandfathers.

“It was so overwhelming. It was like a wave, like you’re in the ocean and just trying to catch your breath,” Paxton said. “I didn’t really know I was in it until two years later and I just started cleaning everybody’s attics and cleaning up the houses. … I was missing all the men in my family, and I was still having to go through this house, and I didn’t know where to start. And I remember thinking, ‘Man, this really sucks.’”

But the more he uncovered of their lives, the more he began to enjoy the process. And, after finding a family shocker in his paternal grandfather’s tackle box, Paxton was hooked.

Downsizing and decluttering became his passion and his life’s work.

A featured cleaner on A&E’s “Hoarders” and star of the two-time Emmy-nominated PBS series “Legacy List with Matt Paxton,” Paxton shares his downsizing and decluttering expertise in a new book, “Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff.”

Produced in collaboration with AARP, the book addresses downsizing and decluttering from a psychological perspective

His book outlines a manageable, realistic plan for combatting clutter, said Paxton, a Suwanee resident and father of seven in a blended family with his wife, popular minimalist life-style advocate Zoë Kim.

“Everyone knows about Marie Kondo and sparking joy and all that. For my clients, that doesn't necessarily work. I mean, the reason they have a lot of stuff is because everything sparks joy. With hoarders and seniors, it’s really hard,” he said.

Focusing on why you want to downsize can help you start and maintain the journey, Paxton said.

“What I’ve found is that [some people] are avoiding their decluttering to avoid deciding where they’re going to go next,” he said.

He encourages people to ferret out the things that really are precious to them, showcase them and share the stories of them, which is the basis of his “Legacy List” show.

He’s told countless clients, “People really do want some of your stuff. They just don’t want what you want them to have.” For example, your kids probably don’t want your heirloom china, but they may be very

Book Festival Information

Matt Paxton is scheduled to appear at this year’s Book Festival of the MJCCA for an author talk on Nov. 17, starting at 11 a.m. The event takes place at the MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338. For more information: atlantajcc.org/bookfestival or 678.812.4005.

She wanted to marry his grandfather when she was 14 years old, but her mother made her wait until she turned 16. They had been married nearly 70 years when his grandfather passed away.

The wedding certificate was not theirs. It was his grandmother’s mother’s wedding certificate. After

“My grandmother,” he said, “was furious. She said, ‘I can't believe she took two years away from me.’ And I was thinking, ‘This is so sweet, that a woman that was married for almost 70 years was mad that she lost two of them with him.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is what I want in life.’”

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Prologue Events

Wednesday, October 12 7:30 pm

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Mad Honey: A Novel

Wednesday, October 26 7:30 pm

Michael Oren

Swann’s War: A Novel

Tuesday, November 1 7:30 pm

Held at The Davis Academy

Dr. Becky Kennedy

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

Opening Night

Thursday, November 3 7:30 pm

Jon Meacham

And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

Saturday, November 5 8:00 pm

Melissa Rivers

Lies My Mother Told Me: Tall Tales from a Short Woman

Sunday, November 6 7:00 pm

Bernie Marcus with Catherine Lewis

Kick Up Some Dust: Lessons from the Co-Founder of the Home Depot on Thinking Big, Giving Back, and Doing it Yourself

Monday, November 7 7:30 pm

Ira Rosen

Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at 60 Minutes

Wednesday, November 9 12:00 pm

2 Authors — 1 Program Lisa Barr

Woman on Fire: A Novel

Meg Waite Clayton

The Postmistress of Paris: A Novel

November Book Festival Events

Wednesday, November 9 7:30 pm

Julia Haart

Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie

Thursday, November 10 11:00 am

Roni Robbins

Hands of Gold: One Man’s Quest to Find the Silver Lining in Misfortune

Thursday, November 10 7:30 pm

Kristallnacht Commemoration

Tova Friedman

The Daughter of Auschwitz: My Story of Resilience, Survival, and Hope

Saturday, November 12 8:00 pm

Andrew Young and Ernie Suggs

The Many Lives of Andrew Young

Sunday, November 13 12:00 pm

Wendy Brant and Julie Anne Cooper

Hanukkah Veronica, The Mitzvah Fairy

Sunday, November 13 7:30 pm

Nikki R. Haley

If You Want Something Done: Leadership Lessons from Bold Women

Tuesday, November 15 7:30 pm

Daughter of Paul Newman

Clea Newman Soderlun

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir by Paul Newman

Wednesday, November 16 12:00 pm

Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman

The Thread Collectors: A Novel

Wednesday, November 16 7:30 pm

Michael F. Roizen, M.D.

The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

Thursday, November 17 11:00 am

Matt Paxton

Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life

Saturday, November 19 8:00 pm

Nyle DiMarco

Deaf Utopia: A Memoir — and a Love Letter to a Way of Life

By Kathy Dean

Hanukkah Veronica was born just the way you’d think a fairy should be — from a sincere wish and an act of love. Years later, a simple act of kindness helped her to grow so she could spread her happy message to others.

Once upon a time, more than a dozen years ago, a 5-year-old girl named Lucy wanted an elf, the kind that sits on a shelf. Her mother, Julie Anne Cooper, told her that,

instead of an elf, she would find her a special Hanukkah companion.

While Lucy was at school, Julie Anne went into her art room. She knew that Lucy loved fairies, so, “I pulled together a bunch of fabrics and created a soft doll and named her Hanukkah Veronica,” Julie Anne said. “Hanukkah Veronica performed mitzvahs.” Mitzvahs are acts of kindness.

All season long, Hanukkah Veronica would perform good deeds, surprising and delighting

Julie Anne and her husband’s three children. There might be freshly baked cookies for an afterschool treat or a special gift for them to share. The Mitzvah Fairy became a family holiday tradition.

Family tradition inspires a book

Julie Anne Cooper worked with Wendy Brant in the real estate industry. The two live in the Atlanta area, and one holiday season, Julie Anne painted a watercolor based on a photograph Wendy took in Europe and presented it to her.

“It was such a kind gesture, a mitzvah,” Wendy said. “Our friendship grew stronger.”

While discussing art and other interests, Julie Anne told Wendy about her family’s holiday Hanukkah Veronica tradition. “I remember growing up as a young Jewish girl and how much I would have loved to have a character like this in our lives, and how much fun it would have been,” Wendy said.

Inspired by the story, Wendy told Julie Ann, “I think every family might love a Hanukkah Veronica.” Julie Anne agreed, and they decided to partner and bring Hanukkah Veronica to life. They developed a plush doll and a book to tell her story.

The story of “Hanukkah Veronica, the Mitzvah Fairy” centers around Lucy, who wishes for a holiday companion. When Hanukkah Veronica arrives, not only does Lucy make a friend, she also learns the power of kindness.

Wendy said that Italian illustrator Giovanni Lombardi helped bring their vision to life in the book. She also credits Rabbi Levi Mentz at the Chabad at Forsyth for his assistance with Hanukkah Veronica.

“We launched a successful Kickstarter in 2021 and we

L to R: Wendy Brant and Julie Anne Cooper

have been truly humbled by the response,” Wendy said. “The message of kindness and love seems to be much needed, especially now. The fact that the stories inspire an appreciation for the many cultures and traditions of the world seems to resonate with many people.”

More friends on the way

Julie Anne and Wendy hope Hanukkah Veronica is the first of the series of characters that will appear in future books. Christmas Chloe, Diwali Deepa, Kwanzaa Keisha, and Halloween Hannah are currently in the works, their website says.

“The characters are from around

the world. They are friends and interact, as will be seen in the second book,” Wendy said. She said these stories offer a message of peace, love and kindness, with a focus on mitzvahs as a reminder that lasting joy comes from giving to others.

“The last few years have been a challenge and many people have struggled in a variety of ways, physically and mentally. As adults, in our personal lives, and even in our governments, many people seem to approach our issues with anger and fear. We have been focusing not on what we have in common but much more on our differences,” Wendy said.

THE BOOK FESTIVAL OF THE MJCCA 2022–2023 SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSORS

Barbara and Ed Mendel

PLATINUM SPONSORS

The Fagin/ Danz Family

The Eva and George Stern Family

SILVER SPONSORS

Sheryl S. Blechner

Marcy Louza and Mike Kenig

BRONZE SPONSORS

Lisa and Ron Brill Charitable Trust

The Zaban Foundation

The Hyman Foundation

IN-KIND SPONSORS

Jewish Book Council Proud Member of the Jewish Book Council

Official Bookseller of the Book Festival of the MJCCA

— Special Thanks to Naomi Firestone-Teeter, Suzanne Swift, and Arielle Landau —

This project is supported by Georgia Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities and by appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.