Literature-N-Living Class on We All Fall Down

Constance Cormier's reply to John Richter

This typed letter, written in 2003 by Constance Cormier, Robert Cormier's widow, appears to be in response to packets of written materials sent by John Richter. In the letter, Mrs. Cormier seeks Richter's permission to ensconce the packets in the Fitchburg State archive, along with other readers' and students' writings inspired by Cormier's work.

John Richter's response to Constance Cormier

In this two-page, hand written letter, John Richter, head of a Florida program to help incarcerated adolescent males, expresses his sympathy and sorrow at the news of Robert Cormier's passing. He underscores that Cormier's novels helped the youth "academically, spiritually, and psychologically."

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In this Sept. 4, 2014, New York Times Parenting Blog piece, "Teaching children empathy," author Jessica Leahy links two recent research pieces that illustrate how, despite what US parents say about building character and raising empathetic children, evidence shows that children are reflecting parents' values of competition and achievement above all else. She considers her own life as a parent and, based on the research, offers five suggestions for better teaching our children how to be empathetic toward other people.