Last week LeBron James returned to Ohio for the grand opening of a public school for at-risk children in his hometown of Akron. Two-hundred and forty children who are under-performing in math and reading comprise the inaugural class in the I Promise School. The LeBron James Family Foundation and its partners have already donated $2 million to the school, most of which went to renovation costs. But $500,000 was earmarked to hire teachers and fund after-school programs.
I was zipping down the Merritt Parkway, nighttime summer air blowing through the windows, the radio tuned to an 80s station. My 12-year-old daughter cranked up Kim Carnes. All the boys think she’s a spy. She’s got Bette Davis eyes.
I’ve written a book called Little Pink House. I’ve produced a movie based on the book, which is currently in theaters throughout the country. Today I’m proposing that the City of New London do something bold and progressive — give back the land it took by eminent domain from Susette Kelo and her neighbors. I see this as a start to reconciliation that would lead to a new, more redeeming ending in the struggle that I chronicled in Little Pink House.
News Flash — As I was putting the finishing touches on this blog post, I received an email from Simon & Schuster, informing me that Tiger Woods has reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. I was so stunned that I was sure I had misread the email. How can this be? Then more congratulatory emails started coming in. It’s true. We really made it to #1. This is a brand new experience for me. I’ve never had a book reach the top of the bestseller list. I’m grateful to my partner Armen Keteyian, my agent Richard Pine, my editor Jofie Ferrari-Adler, our publisher Jon Karp, and my fearless wife Lydia.
Tomorrow “Little Pink House” opens in theaters. The world premiere took place Sunday night at the Garde Arts Center, a historic 1,400 seat theater in New London, the city where the epic legal battle Kelo v New London was fought. It sold out, and hundreds more people were turned away at the door. The response was so overwhelming that the Garde announced yesterday that it had added a second showing on Saturday, May 5th at 7:30. And the movie will open at the Niantic Cinema - near New London - on May 4th.
Jeff Benedict is a best selling author of 14 books and a television and film producer. His latest book — QB: My Life Behind the Spiral (written with Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young) was a New York Times bestseller. He is currently writing the biography of Tiger Woods. He is a producer on the forthcoming motion picture “Little Pink House,” starring Oscar-nominated Catherine Keener with music by David Crosby. To book him for a speech or private event, contact Ellis Trevor at ellis@chartwellspeakers.com
