Nancy Wright Beasley, a Virginia author of three books, including two with Holocaust themes, will speak and give a video presentation at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at the Kill Devil Hills Library, which is located at 400 Mustian Street in Kill Devil Hills. The library is providing this program, which is open to all residents and visitors of the Dare County community, free of charge.
“I have a heart connection to the Outer Banks,” Beasley said. “I’ve spent more than 60 years visiting here with my sons and my husband, who encouraged me to write but didn’t live to see my books published. It was an emotional struggle to write books about the Holocaust, and hearing the ocean was a tremendous comfort to me while writing.”
Beasley’s best-known books are the nonfiction “Izzy’s Fire: Finding Humanity in the Holocaust” and the young-adult historical novel “The Little Lion: A Hero in the Holocaust.” Both relate the true story of Lithuanian Jews who escaped the Kovno Ghetto and survived World War II due to the kindness and bravery of Catholic families who sheltered them. Both books are currently taught in some Virginia schools as part of their Holocaust curriculum. Additionally, Beasley is the co-author of “Saving Sara,” a 25-minute play based on “The Little Lion: A Hero in the Holocaust” that features one actor playing eight parts to tell the story of how 3-year-old Sara Gillman was spirited out of the ghetto and temporarily raised by Catholics until her parents could come for her.
A video of the live performance of “Saving Sara” will be shown during Beasley’s presentation at the library, which will be the premiere performance of the play in North Carolina. The presentation is appropriate for all adults and children who are middle school age and older. It is particularly recommended for middle school and high school teachers as well as college professors. Autographed copies of Beasley’s books also will be available to purchase at the event.
About Nancy Wright BeasleyNancy Wright Beasley is the author of “Izzy’s Fire: Finding Humanity in the Holocaust,” “The Little Lion: A Hero in the Holocaust” and “Reflections of a Purple Zebra,” a collection of columns originally written for “Richmond magazine.” All are published by Posie Press. She is the co-author of “Saving Sara,” a 25-minute play based on “The Little Lion.” She is the founder of the nonprofit Chutzpah and Courage and a longtime member of Brandermill Rotary Club. She lives in North Chesterfield, outside Richmond, Virginia. For more information about Nancy Wright Beasley and her work, please visit www.NancyWrightBeasley.com and www.ChutzpahAndCourage.org. |