Lloyd Weinreb ’62, professor emeritus at HLS, who passed away in December (see Page 48), was the author of many important articles and books, several on legal and moral philosophy. They include the provocatively titled “Oedipus at Fenway Park: What Rights Are and Why There Are Any.” Recently, he wrote a different kind of book with an equally engaging title: “Erma Elephant and the Really Big Hole.” It’s a children’s book about an elephant who helps her animal friends (that’s where the hole comes in), and she comes to see that “big is beautiful, after all.” Charmingly illustrated, the project was a collaboration with Amelia Laursen, an artist and high school senior in North Carolina. In an interview in the fall, Weinreb said he was delighted with the illustrations: “I am sure she will be a great success.” And for him, working on the book was great fun. When asked if there was a connection between the story of Erma and moral and political philosophy, he said, “I suppose I would not have written it if I did not have the background I have, but I was not thinking about that at the time.”
To order the book, write to pelicanpointpress@gmail.com. All funds from sales will go to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and to Book Harvest.