Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

How I Found: Having recently taken a trip to Coronado where L. Frank Baum is hiding in the crown chandeliers of the hotel and tucked away in a tiny museum in the island, when I saw the title of this book, I knew it was time for another trip down the yellow brick road. As a fan of both the book and the film, even the film Return to Oz, I was not disappointed in Letts’ ability to meld the two and uncover a charming character in Baum’s wife, Maud who holds it all together as she flashes back between her life with Frank and meeting Judy Garland while making the film.
Why You Might Read: Based on meticulous research by the author, you’ll further appreciate the origins of The Wizard of Oz and find yourself, just as Maud did when she first saw Frank perform, “[in] a world brighter, more colorful, more vivid, and more intense than the quotidian one in which she passed her days.” If you are a fan of the film, the book, or both, this read will be the technicolor to the world you think you know somewhere over the rainbow.