The Big Idea: Meg Elison

With the 4th of July on the horizon, not everyone is feeling particularly patriotic. Author Meg Elison has been brushing up on her American history and all the unpleasantness that comes with it. Take off your ball caps, place them over your heart, and follow along in today’s Big Idea for Foundling Fathers. MEG ELISON: On September 11, 2001, I was supposed to be at Disneyland. I woke up that day to find everyone glued to the television, watching what was happening in New York. I was still blinking away sleep when the second plane hit. We still went to the park, which reopened the next day. Disneyland was half-empty, even for a weekday during the school year. People were not anxious to gather in large groups and anything fun seemed frivolous. The evening parade in the park is always popular, with people lining both sides of the street and waving to their favorite big-headed corporate mascots. We gathered for it at dusk, and tried to summon the spirit to enjoy it. But instead of the…