My next book to review is The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman. It's about Peter van Pels (van Daan, in the diaries), one of the people who lived with Anne in the Annex during the Second World War. The author was inspired by a guide at the Anne Frank house who said that Peter had disappeared after the War. This immediately got Feldman thinking about what might have happened to Peter and how he might have lived his life. She subsequently learnt that the guide was wrong, and that he had died after a forced march from a concentration camp. However, she continued with her book, because Peter had said to Anne that after the war he would reinvent himself. Feldman wanted to explore this idea.
On the brick front, I've been offered some publication work on an assemblage from Spurriergate, York. More later, when/if I manage to sort out a quote and it's accepted! I'm not worried if it comes to nothing, as I have plenty of previous work and publications to contribute to my proposed article on tile in Yorkshire.
My course on York Brick and Tile has been publicised in the University of York's Centre for Life Long programme in the printed and the web version. Starting next January, it will cover brick and tile from the Roman period till the 20th century.
