For author and journalist Iris Krasnow, summer camp is so much more than bunk beds and mess halls.
The New York Times bestselling author joined Boston Public Radio Friday, where she talked about the indelible impact of her time at Camp Agawak in Wisconsin, which inspired her new memoir, "Camp Girls: Fireside Lessons on Friendship, Courage, and Loyalty.”
"For me, it’s the spine of my life,” Krasnow said. "The women that I went to camp with in 1963 and 1970 remain my closest, closest friends. They knew my parents, who are both deceased. They knew me as a chubby child and a skinny bride and … whoever I am now, it’s a lot of things. We’ve been through cancer together, and divorces, and hip replacements.”
In “Camp Girls,” Krasnow returns to Camp Agawak after 40 years away, where she becomes a staff member and works to bring back Agalog, the camp's defunct magazine.
“It’s a book about a nostalgic feast,” she said. “It’s a book about simple times — and it’s coming out at a time when people are gonna have to read about camp, ‘cause they may not be at camp."
For all the kids and parents whose camp plans had to be cancelled because of coronavirus, Krasnow has a message:
"I skipped 40 years! I did not go to camp for 40 years. So if you’re a mom or a dad or a kid out there thinking, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna miss the season of 2020,’ you're still gonna be really fun and energetic, and smart — like me!” she joked. "You’re still gonna come out okay."
