‘Read a beautiful storybook in her memory’
Dolly Parton was an American icon. You didn’t have to listen to her music to be warmed by her existence. She was a purposely physically exaggerated, improbably blonde, unlikely good fairy, doing things that the Jewish world calls mitzvot, some of them publically, others privately.
Her death on Tuesday was a shock that seems to have done the unimaginable — it’s brought the country together in appreciation and sadness.
We also learned about an unlikely connection that makes sense when you think about it.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation and PJ Library put out a statement mourning Dolly. Mr. Grinspoon is the founder of PJ Library, the organization that sends a book a month to Jewish children from the time they are born until they are 12. PJ Library, founded in 2005, is an astonishing group. According to its website, it “distributes 650,000 books in seven languages every month.” It also creates and distributes holiday guides, podcasts, and resources for parents, among other things. It’s all free. And this is all real. It’s not PR; it’s actual paper-and-colored-ink books.
Mr. Grinspoon has said that he was inspired to create PJ Library by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is similar although not identical to PJ Library. Both Mr. Grinspoon and Dolly Parton grew up poor, were self-made, knew the joy and freedom that come from reading, and wanted to share that rapture with kids. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gives books to children who otherwise might not have them; Harold Grinspoon’s gives Jewish books to Jewish children who might not otherwise have early monthly access to the Jewish world. Both open the world of imagination and wonder to kids and allow them to soar.
PJ Library is at pjlibrary.com. Imagination Library is at imaginationlibrary.com.
The Grinspoon Foundation went on Facebook to mourn Ms. Parton’s death. This is part of what it says:
“Harold remembers Dolly as ‘a truly amazing person — not only a great artist, but a great entrepreneur and philanthropist. We honor Dolly for educating millions, for her remarkable career, her kindness, her art, and especially her generosity.’
“Listen to some great music and read a beautiful storybook today in her memory. We send our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and fans. May her memory be a blessing.”
—JP