Letter to My Grandchild

A collection of more than thirty letters written by celebrities to their grandchildren gives an intimate look at the writers' own lives and how they foresee the challenges of the next generation, in a book whose proceeds benefit the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.

Once in a while an exceptional work appears that goes beyond the written word and speaks directly to the heart of a generation. Letter to My Grandchild is such a book. A celebration of the bond between grandparents and grandchildren, these intimate and profoundly moving letters by some of the world's most prominent figures transcend all national divisions to embrace the unique meaning of family. Writing about truths that resonate in all of us, figures like Walter Cronkite, Barbara Bush, and Nadine Gordimer reflect on the experiences and values that shaped their own lives and the challenges they foresee for the next generation. More than a personal message to individual children, Letter to My Grandchild is a place of sharing from one generation to another and an extraordinary testament of wisdom and love to all children.

Letter to My Grandchild includes over thirty letters and photos of the men and women who share their exceptional lives, their values, but, most of all, their love. In these pages perhaps you will recognize the words of your own grandparents, or the words you have wished to express to your own children or grandchildren. You are invited to use this book to create a cherished keepsake for your family by placing your own personal letter to a child in the space provided.

"There are opportunities waiting for you, my grandson. Voices out there you must listen to. Human beings out there in the world who will never vote for you or applaud you or honor you. Who will simply need you. You will finally be described by how you reacted to these needs. The finished portrait of yourself-the one you can never change, how-ever beautifully ornamented the frame-will encompass the care and the vision you enacted on behalf of others and how you, through their destinies, learned to recognize yourself. My sweet grandson: May you in life give room to your feelings-risk being hurt-and learn about love."-Liv Ullmann

Contributors include:

Fernando Arrabal

Vladimir Ashkenazy

Harry Belafonte

Doris Lessing

Astrid Lindgren

Barbara Bush

Jimmy Carter

Jung Chang

Leo Cherne

Leonard Cohen

the dalai lama

Walter Cronkite

Umberto Eco

Oriana Fallaci

Marilyn French

Jostein Gaarder

Nadine Gordimer

Katharine Graham

Vclav Havel

Nelson Mandela

Martina Navratilova

Shimon Peres

Aleksandar Soknic

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Desmond Tutu

Liv Ullmann

Jrn Utzon

Lech Walesa

Andrew Weil

Fay Weldon

Elie Wiesel

Simon Wiesenthal

The award-winning actress and director Liv Ullmann is an active leader in humanitarian work for refugees, women, and children. She is a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF and is honorary chair of the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children.