Laurie Ann Thompson is the author of the children's picture book Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah.From her Q & A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you learn about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, and why did you decide to write a picture book about his story?--Marshal Zeringue
A: I first heard about Emmanuel’s story in 2005 when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to help promote a documentary about his life, Emmanuel’s Gift, which Oprah herself narrated.
I was working on a book for teens about unsung heroes, people who’ve changed the world but whose names and faces we may not recognize, and I knew instantly that one of the chapters in that book had to be about Emmanuel!
His story was so inspiring to me, both because of the obstacles he overcame and the way he went about it, that I just couldn’t...[read on]