Scene from a Life: How I Managed to Avoid Breaks and Bruises (also in present tense, for the most part)
When other kids were leaping for that Willie Mays style catch or crushing linebackers, or wielding a tennis racket like a samurai sword, I somehow avoided bruises, sprains, and breaks through childhood and adult life without these feats of athleticism. As the last and smallest person picked for ringolevio by the neighborhood kids in the Linden Houses, I formed my own team of those who avoided selection, including the overweight kid, the one with thick glasses, and other smaller opponents. But mostly, I turned to reading the adventures of my fellow redhead Harriet the Spy , Birdie Boyer ‘s life in the Florida backwoods in Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl , and of course, Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret . (Years later, I met Judy Blume at a book party in her Upper West Side apartment. She complimented my book about a boy living with AIDS before I could say a word about my friend Margaret.) Before I hit the sixth grade, my reading scores were a...
