Elsie Aidinoff
Elsie Aidinoff brings a lifetime of experience to bear on her first novel, The Garden. The idea came to her in church in London when the text was Adam blaming Eve for giving him the apple (Genesis 3). She began to imagine what it was like from Eve's point of view. Without much expectation of publication, she wrote out of her own interest in the idea of personal responsibility. She said, "Accepting responsibility for one's own actions is the basis for maturity." An experience during a visit to Los Alamos fed into her concern for personal responsibility. Elsie was struck by the intellectual excitement of those working to create the atomic bomb without reflecting on the moral implications. Later she began taking classes on writing and sharing her writing with friends. After seven years one of her writing friends showed her manuscript to an agent who gave suggestions for revision. It was placed with Harper Collins Children's Book division for young adults and after more revision was published.Elsie began life in Rhode Island. When her father was in active duty in the Navy, the family followed him to various posts, and Elsie went to six different schools. She knew what it was like to always be the new girl. After the war the family settled in Williamstown, Massachusetts where Elsie went to high school. She and her twin sister graduated at 17 and took off a year before continuing their education. During that year, Elsie worked in a nursery school. She then attended Smith and Columbia, where she majored in French. Although interested in writing, she felt that it was not a way to make a living.
Beginning in 1965, Elsie worked as a tutor in a junior high school with the New York City School Volunteer Program. Since 1980 she has been a teacher, administrator, trustee, chairman, and president of the board with the Children's Storefront School, a tuition-free independent school in Harlem. During a stay in Hong Kong, she worked with a Vietnamese program for boat people. Elsie has also lived in Paris, Brussels, London, and New York. She now lives in New York City with her lawyer husband.
After busy years as wife and mother of four children now grown, Elsie returned to her interest in writing. With her book published, she looks forward to discussions of ideas with young people. Her goal is to encourage people to think. Contributor Carlee Hallman
Reviews
The Garden
Elsie V. Aidinoff
This imaginative take off on the ancient story of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), is written from Eve's point of view. Eve awakens with the need to learn about the world. The Serpent is her tutor and supporter. God is tutor for Adam, who is all boy. Eve is seeking free will without coercion. With the help of the Serpent, Eve can escape and return to the garden in her quest for knowledge and exploration. Creation is discovered to have a will of its own and is sometimes out of God's control. God is both awesome and a curmudgeon. As Adam and Eve grow and learn, we wonder with them, if they are responsible for their actions. Exploration of ideas and clear definitions of illusory concepts such as wisdom and soul are illuminating. The shimmering sensory detail is delightful. Sometimes irreverent and shocking, this book is both compelling and thought provoking in dealing with subjects of interest to today's youth. 2004, HarperTempest/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 16 up, $16.99.
Reviewer: Carlee Hallman
ISBN: 0-06-055605-6
ISBN: 0-06-055606-4
Added 05/31/04
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