NEW BOOK RELEASE
Memoir sheds light on teacher’s experience in the heart of the Italian COVID-19 outbreak
(St. Paul, MN)—Award-winning publisher Elva Resa Publishing is pleased to announce the February 21, 2023 release of 100 Days Smart: A kindergarten teacher shares lessons on life, learning, and community during the COVID-19 outbreak in bella Italia, a memoir by Karin Tramm.
In February 2020, Mrs. Tramm’s kindergarten class at a US military base in Vicenza, Italy, was counting up to a magic day—the 100th day of school—when the students would be 100 days smart! But then, on February 21, the 100th day of school, COVID-19 changed everything.
Teachers, parents, and students watched in disbelief as schools shuttered within hours. From empty classrooms to kindergarten in the kitchen, they navigated uncharted waters as their world locked down in the epicenter of the Italian COVID-19 outbreak.
“As news of the pandemic in northern Italy broke, my mind began to swirl,” says Tramm. “The first death was just a few miles away and things began to happen very quickly; the changes were hard to process. One Saturday morning, I woke up and it was hard to get out of bed. I asked my husband to bring me a legal pad and words just poured out. I wanted people to know what happened in Italy, that American schoolchildren were some of the first ones affected, and how brave and resilient they were.”
Over the following 100 days, Tramm and other residents of Vicenza learned to find joy in simplicity, country living, and community. “Forced to look for a silver lining, old things became new again. Gone was the morning commute and travel now consisted of upstairs to downstairs, from the coffee pot to the computer,” recalls Tramm.
In diary form, 100 Days Smart highlights the resilience and hope of her community.
“Everyone’s pandemic story is unique to time and place,” says Tramm. “We’ve all tucked in emotions that emerge now and then in search of a voice.” By recognizing and remembering the fears and frustrations, humor and humanity of shared experiences, she hopes to lend perspective on a new path forward.
About the Author
As an early childhood educator and military spouse, Karin Tramm has lived and taught around the world, including sixteen years in Vicenza, Italy, where her memoir takes place. She and her husband, a retired US Navy commander and high school physics teacher, currently live in Florida, USA.
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ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an award-winning, mission-driven, traditional independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, specializing in quality resources by, for, and about military families. Elva Resa’s mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. ElvaResa.com, MilitaryFamilyBooks.com
MEDIA: Please contact Elva Resa PR at 651-357-8770 or pr [@] elvaresa.com.
100 Days Smart: A kindergarten teacher shares lessons on life, learning, and community during the COVID-19 outbreak in bella Italia (a memoir) releases February 21, 2023, available everywhere books are sold.
Direct sales support military family programs: MilitaryFamilyBooks.com/100-Days-Smart
Send purchase requests to orders[@] elvaresa.com or call 651-357-8770.
Title: 100 Days Smart
Subtitle: A kindergarten teacher shares lessons on life, learning, and community during the COVID-19 outbreak in bella Italia
Author: Karin Tramm
Publisher: Elva Resa Publishing
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Distributed by: Military Family Books; INscribe Digital
ISBN: 978-1-934617-77-9 (pb); 979-8-88752-016-2 (ebk)
Format: 5.5″x8.5″ paperback, 256 pages; ebook
Retail Price: $21.95 (pb); $12.99 (ebk)
Case Quantity: 32
Senior editor Christy Lyon. Cover design by Brenda Harris, based on a kindergarten morning board.
More information:
Book press page: ElvaResa.com/book/100-Days-Smart
Author press page: ElvaResa.com/author-artist/Karin-Tramm
View this press release as a pdf.