Ten-Minute Tales by Dennis Goodwin

The 67 stories in this true short-story collection are ideal for reading aloud to the residents of nursing or assisted living centers, schools, clubs, or for simply reading privately for enjoyment. The collection of mini-biographies of notable people and colorful glimpses of historic events, are arranged by the person's birthday or the event's anniversary. The short colorful stories take ten-minutes or less to read and work well in a "cluster" group that includes shortened versions of two or three other activities. For example, an activity director, staff member, or volunteer, might mix a story with trivia, a word game, Name That Tune, jokes, riddles, poetry-reading, etc. The little stories also come in handy if an activity runs a little short and the leader needs to fill in a few minutes. In addition, they work well in a morning coffee discussion, to commemorate the anniversary of a famous individual's birthday or an historic event. The author has always been a history buff and published a number of nonfiction historical magazine articles and short-story collections throughout the years. He realizes that history wasn't made by "historical people." It's not like Walt Disney, Buffalo Bill Cody or Howard Hughes wandered around looking for an opening to crawl out of the past and into the present. They were living, wholeheartedly, in the same constantly moving present that we all now occupy. These little ten-minute slices of lives and times can, however, offer the reader or listeners a chance to travel back through that time opening to join them. When they arrive, they will often be surprised when the characters transform from the two-dimensional text-book cutouts many of us might imagine, into real-life mistake-making, all-too-human dream-followers. Amelia Earhart's first "flight," for example, was made on a sled rushing down a ramp from the roof of her family's tool shed. Western hero, Wyatt Earp, was once arrested for operating a "floating brothel." And Country music legend, Charlie Pride's sister argued against his singing Country music because "it ain't gonna get you nowhere." Whether you plan to read them aloud or simply enjoy them yourself, just order the book, open the cover, sit back and take some brief colorful peeks at fascinating lives and events.