The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Cooper and Vanderbilt.

 The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss. Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. HarperCollins, 2016. Adult nonfiction.


Anderson Cooper has made a name for himself as a leading journalist who covers the world. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, while a designer and artist, is best known as the child over whom a custody battle raged in the early 1900's. For about a year, when Ms. Vanderbilt is between 91 and 92 years of age, she and her son correspond, talk, and visit about their lives. Cooper comes across as an honest and caring adult son, Vanderbilt as a mother who wished she had done some things differently in her life. Her letter to herself at 17 should be read by every teen girl. Her letter to her son, giving advice and expressing much love, should prompt every parent to write a letter to a child. Both acknowledge good times and tragedies, but compare these to a rainbow that comes and goes. Vanderbilt hesitates to call herself an optimist, but says she is hopeful. Cooper hesitates to call himself a pessimist, but clearly plans details and is a realist. Yet, they are family. The bottom line? It is never too late to start a conversation with a loved one. What you learn about them may not be as important as what you learn about yourself.