Sadie Shapiro's Knitting Book

Title: Sadie Shapiro’s Knitting Book
Genre: Fiction
Author: Robert Kimmel Smith (1930-)
Jacket Design: Paul Bacon (1923-2015)
Illustrator: Uncredited
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, New York, New York
Series: Book #1 in “Sadie Shapiro” series.
Year: 1973 (first printing)
Pages: 192
Format: Hardcover, with dust jacket.
Provenance: Glue stain (likely from library card pocket) on first page.
Dedication: “For Sally and Edith and Sadie and Esther”
From the Dust Jacket: “It’s not as if Sadie Shapiro had Godlike powers; or that the hand of the Almighty directed her action. But it is just possible that He dropped in for tea. And stayed to chat.”
Opening Sentence: “Somewhere on her desk there had to be a pencil.”
Random Passage: “‘Got to,’ said Sadie. ‘Making you a sweater, don’t forget.’ With a cheery wave, she started off as the applause built; then, remembering her shopping bag, she hustled back to retrieve it, ginned sheepishly and jogged off into the wings. In thirty-two minutes, give or take a handful of commercials and station breaks, Sadie had knitted a place for herself in the fabric of American folk myth. The little old lady who had walked onstage an unknown came off a star.”
Goodreads Review: “Absolutely loved this book. Yes, it’s a simple book, and yes, we know exactly what is going to happen, but this doesn’t diminish the pleasure in meeting Sadie, and relearning valuable life advice. I can forsee that I will probably read this book every few years just as a reminder that sometimes a 72 or 75 year old Jewish widow from Queens has some great insight.” — Julie P, April 2, 2011.
Notes: Feel-good book about a boundless older lady breaking down the stereotypes of old-ladydom, an avid knitter who brings positivity to everything she touches. Author Kimmel Smith returned to the Sadie character with Sadie Shapiro in Miami (1977) and Sadie Shapiro, Matchmaker (1979).