Disabled Historian Burns Book

I want to commend you for your excellent coverage of the burning of Longmore’s book “The Invention of George Washington.” I am a docent at the Huntington Library in San Marino where Longmore does much of his research. As a docent, I give library tours to advanced placement high school literature and history students where they see the personal papers of George Washington on display.

Sometimes, while the students are waiting for the tour to begin outside the bookstore, they see Longmore hobble in to spend a full day of “earned” research. I am often asked, “What is he doing here?” When I tell them to turn around and look at the book on display, which he wrote, they are very impressed.

I know Longmore burned his book to emphasize injustices to all handicapped people and, unfortunately, I will now have to add a footnote to these bright students, that he burned this book because the government penalized him for writing it.

CHRISTINE STAPP

San Marino