Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg
Posted by DBRLTeen on Friday, March 27th, 2009
“All I can tell you is that you better live each day like it was your last, because you never know. Take a lesson from me, one minute I’m picking figs, the next minute I’m dead.”
Teens always want to be famous. Now don’t try to deny it! Mrs. D. knows you all hope to be famous performers or sports stars or writers or scientists or celebrities of every sort and description – it’s in your blood and you can’t help it. It’s human nature to want recognition from others, and the more the better!
But what if you never become famous? Aren’t there enough silly celebrities running around making fools of themselves in public? What if you just live an ordinary life? Is such a life even worth bothering with?
That’s why Mrs. D. recommends Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg. Elner Shimfissle, an elderly woman known only by her friends and family, is the center of this story (even though she is dead for much of it!), and if you thought it wouldn’t be fun to be old, think again! Elner is the kind of person we all like to be around – friendly, funny, and still curious about life. Although this book wasn’t written for teens, Mrs. D. thinks its a great way for teens to experience how wonderful life is, even when you’re old, and not famous at all.
The problem is if you spend all your time dreaming about being famous in your future, you’re missing your present. Are you living right today?