ABOUT THE BOOK AND AUTHOR

Book: So. Long.: Unfinished Good-byes with the Children of COVID-19

Donte Woods-Spikes is known for various forms of work such as professional speaking, community work, and video documentation. Donte’s overall goal is to educate and connect the world beyond perceptions and stereotypes through authentic storytelling.

As a young Black teacher’s aide in the Columbus City Schools, Donte Woods-Spikes explored the connections to his own childhood in interactions with students from a Black neighborhood near downtown. Donte found that the students taught him lessons that adults had missed in his own education. When the pandemic suddenly broke his connection to these wonderful children, he documented their stories as a tribute to their resilience moving through these unprecedented times. He gives insights into their challenging and sometimes heartbreaking world not often seen, even by their parents.

So. Long. challenges readers to dig into their own childhood experiences to see how they impact their interactions with children today, and to find empathy for children who may be living through very different experiences than our own or who may help us to uncover our own stories from our childhood.