Chelsea Clinton stopped by the Chatham Square library in Chinatown this morning, as part of the recently launched tour for her debut book “It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!” The book (almost 400 pages long) includes stories about children and teens who have made changes within their communities, and Clinton said she hopes it will inspire readers of all ages to do their part to make our world a better place.
She presented a short slide show that featured examples of children who have taken action around issues they care about, including a letter she had written to President Reagan when she was five years old.
The letter asked him not to visit the national cemetery in Germany where some Nazis were buried because, she wrote, “I have seen The Sound of Music. The Nazis don’t look like very nice people.” She noted that she had put a sticker on the letter and had even included a full sheet of her favorite stickers as “a gesture of respect and good will.”
She never got a response to her letter, but she said she felt good that at least she had tried.
Clinton spent quite a bit of time taking questions from the students. Questions ranged from, “What’s your favorite color?” (purple) to “Are you going to turn your book into a movie?” (She hadn’t thought about that) And, “How was life in the White House?” (Pretty ordinary and pretty extraordinary at the same time).
Asked by a student if it was hard for her when she was younger because her parents were always working, she said, “My parents did a great job insuring that we always had dinner together and that we always spent Sundays together, even if they had to go back to work after dinner.”
Another student asked how she would feel if her mom became president.
“I’m very biased towards my mother,” she said, “I hope that people come to understand why I’m so biased towards her as a daughter but also as a mother because I believe that she would be the best president for my daughter, and for the world I want my daughter to grow up in.”
Clinton also said she thought very often adults don’t understand how thoughtful children are about what’s happening in the world.
Each student was given their own signed copy of the book on their way out.
Chelsea Clinton will be at the 92nd Street Y this evening, in conversation with novelist Meg Wolitzer, before continuing on her 20-city tour at schools and libraries nationwide.
And what was her speaking fee for all of this??