Birthdays: Shmuel Agnon (1888), Erle Stanley Gardner (1889), Christiane Rochefort (1917), Phyllis Diller (1917), Robert V. Remini (1921), Olive Burns (1924), Karla Kuskin (1932), LaVyrle Spencer (1943), Chris Crutcher (1946), Mark Bowden (1951), J. Michael Straczynski (1954), Cory Doctorow (1971),

Shmuel Agnon was the co-winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Robert Remini won the 1984 National Book Award for Nonfiction for his biography of Andrew Jackson.

Quote: “We are the people of the book. We love our books. We fill our houses with books. We treasure books we inherit from our parents, and we cherish the idea of passing those books on to our children… If anyone tries to take away our books—some oppressive government, some censor gone off the rails—we would defend them with everything that we have.” – Cory Doctorow

Tip: A synopsis is not supposed to explain the entire book. It is a short piece designed to hook an editor or agent and to show that you know what goes into making a full story. It should contain main characters, conflicts, plot points, and the ending (Yes, the ending!).

Jumpstart: In A Picture of Dorian Gray, the picture ages while the man does not. If offered the chance for immortality, would you take it? Why or why not? What if it meant you would continue to age, but not die?