Letters to Jenny
Letters to Jenny is a collection of letters written by Piers Anthony to Jenny Gildwarg, a 12-year-old girl who was run over by a drunk driver on December 9, 1988. The book also contains news of Jenny's progress after the accident.
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| Author | Piers Anthony Alan Riggs |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Letters |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | October 1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 288 pp (hardcover 1st ed.) |
| ISBN | 0-8125-2282-6 |
| OCLC | 31683681 |
Origin of the letters
Jenny remained in a coma for several weeks, occasionally making small movements. According to Anthony's notes, she regained consciousness fully paralyzed, being able to move only her eyes and one finger. Feeling that Jenny was losing hope, her mother wrote to Anthony, asking if he would write a letter to Jenny, as he was one of her favorite authors. Anthony corresponded regularly.
Jenny in fiction
Anthony wrote a letter to Jenny, proposing that he create a character patterned after her, in his next Xanth book, Isle of View. The character is Jenny Elf, an elf of the Elfquest variety (another of her favorite series), which has a pet cat named Sammy (Jenny Gildwarg was a lover of animals). Jenny Elf has become a regular character in the Xanth series.
Anthony received a letter from Jenny's mother, in which she describes reading previous letter to Jenny. On asking her about the elf character, Jenny smiled.
Jenny's recovery
Jenny since made much progress, communicating (at first) by blinking her eyes. Today, Jenny still uses a wheelchair.