This is nothing particularly hard-hitting but it is a nice biography of an interesting woman. I really respect Astrid Lindgren and appreciated learning more about what led to her writing children's books and all that she accomplished.
"The children were trained to behave 'with order and the fear of God, but in our playful life we were wonderfully free and never controlled.'"
"One of the teachers Astrid had in kindergarten or first grade came up with a grand idea. Every year at Christmas time, the teacher took around a catalog of children's books and magazines. Each child could order one as a holiday present. Years later Astrid Lindgren could still remember how those books smelled. It was a special smell all its own, different from everything else in the world. She thought nothing could compare to the wonderful smell of a book!"
Astrid Lindgren said, "To be alone is best. There is no loneliness that frightens me. Deep down we all remain alone. Without loneliness and poetry I believe I could hardly survive."
"That our Lord let children be children before they grew up was one of His better ideas," Astrid was fond of saying.