Books are a 'rehearsal for what you’re going to have to meet in life’: ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ author

Heralded as one of the most enduring and poignant children’s books of the 20th century, “Bridge to Terabithia” demands its reader confront the realities of childhood — including family dynamics, class division, friendship, identity, and, of course, death. Author Katherine Paterson wrote the book in reaction to the senseless death of her own son’s best friend. Paterson reminds us that those intense feelings of longing and belonging, of searching for a ‘why’ that does not exist, of turning to your family for support, of life-affirming friendship do not just begin at adulthood. Paterson joins Ali Velshi to discuss the universality of the themes the book explores. “Books are a wonderful rehearsal for what you’re going to meet in life,” says Paterson. April 13, 2024