And at home, her workaholic father has become even more distant.ĭetermined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide: the Beatles. Her best friend, Michelle, has decided to become a cheerleader, everyone at school is now calling her Gertrude (her hated real name), and the gem of her middle school career, the Beatles fan club, has dwindled down to only three other members-the least popular kids at school. The Vietnam War rages overseas, the Beatles have catapulted into stardom, and twelve-year-old Rhode Island native Trudy Mixer is not thrilled with life. What emerges is a sincere and funny story of growing up, making unexpected connections, and following your dreams even as the world in front of you-and the world at large-is changing too fast. Written in her signature prose, Hood weaves a tale of four misfit friends who set off to see the Beatles' final world tour, each harboring a secret hope. The title is, “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah.Best-selling author Ann Hood tells the story of a girl swept up in the heart of 1960s Beatlemania. Her next book, she said, will take readers back to 1966 and into the world of a 10-year-old girl who wants to meet Paul McCartney. “Grief has been the topic in my arc that I have explored.” “All of these things are things that can cause grief,” she said. The form, she said, asked her if her car had ever been stolen, if she ever had a dog that died, if she had ever nursed someone through serious illness, if she had ever lost a job or moved to a new city. Hood lost her own daughter in 2002 and she says that her grief counselor gave her a form to fill out. Before that she was a teenager growing up in the 1970s, “a very tumultuous time” when societal norms were changing. She was a flight attendant before she was published. McKuen’s poems, she said, made her feel like he was whispering secrets to her.ĭuring her presentation, Hood shared her own well-known story. On Sunday, Hood read extensively from a section in 'Morningstar' that delves into 'Stanyan Street & Other Sorrows' by Rod McKuen. Rimmer and 'Rabbit, Run' by John Updike, a book that also affected Michaud.

Some of the books that matter most to Hood are 'The Harrod Experiment' by Robert H.

“I chose 10,” Hood said, “but honestly, I could have chosen 50.” 'Morningstar' is Hood’s book about the books that mattered most to her. On Sunday, Michaud was among about 60 people in the audience at The Contemporary Theater, when that author, Rhode Island’s Ann Hood, read from her new memoir 'Morningstar.' Her appearance was part of the Authors on Main series, where authors discuss their work and answer questions. Now, Michaud has learned that one of her favorite authors was deeply affected by a few of the very same titles. The books that have affected her the most are special.

She Loves You by Ann Hood