What made you decide to write this non-fiction work? This is an updated edition of my 2009 work. It’s the horrifying true story of a madman who blew up a school in Bath, MI on May 18, 1927.
Read about the Bath School Massacre on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster
The bombing killed 38 children and five adults, as well as the killer who blew himself up in his truck in front of the school, and his wife, who was found burned beyond recognition on their farm, which he had also wired with explosives and burned to the ground.
Can you talk about your experience of researching this non-fiction work? And the dates of when you began researching and when your research was complete? I first stumbled on the story in fall of 2005 and immediately knew it was something I had to write. Bath is a small farming town, just outside of Lansing. They have a museum in the local school with information and artifacts of the 1927 bombing.
Read about the BATH SCHOOL MASSACRE from Atlas Obscura Press
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bath-school-massacre-memorial
I met with the committee that runs the museum, explained what I was doing, and got their cooperation. It did take about a year for them to fully trust me, given how personal the story was to them. These were children and grandchildren of survivors, so I understood where they were coming from. But after they understood how serious I was about telling their story with respect, we formed a mutual admiration society that continues to this day. I dived into old newspapers, police records, family histories, other books, and newspaper articles of the day to get my story.
Bath School Museum’s Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1620429304893360
Most important of all: I interviewed four survivors of the bombing, people who saw the worst of the worst that day, and lost brothers and sisters in the explosion. It was a genuine privilege to be the caretaker of their memories. I became close friends with one of the survivors as well. The family told me after her death (at age 100!) how much she liked me and always was telling her nurses about me. She was something! After the original book came out, I was contacted by two other survivors, who wanted to tell their stories. I interviewed them for the record and donated the recordings to the Bath School Museum. I always had it in the back of my mind that I would one day update the book. Other new resources became available, most importantly oral histories and interviews done by others during the 1970s & 1980s. This material had sat around in archives and historical societies for a long time, gathering dust. When they came to light, I did a deep dive. Between the new interviews and the oral histories, I was able to expand on some of the stories already in the book, tell new stories via eyewitness accounts, and ultimately deepen what the book had to offer. I also wrote an introduction to the new edition.
What is the date you began writing this piece of non-fiction and the date when you finished writing the piece of non-fiction? I commenced in fall of 2005 with the proposal, then took about three years from acceptance by a publisher (University of Michigan Press) to publication date. The update took about four months to complete, since the framework was already in place. However, keep in mind, that I had done two interviews several years before that update.
Where did you do most of your writing for this non-fiction work? My house! At my desk! Surrounded by books and papers!
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? My writing habits are a mystery to me. I consumed all the research material, created an outline, and wrote in hours-long sessions. When I get into my zone, I can go for a long time without taking a break. No music, because I need to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Today, I have supplemented the computer with a pair of manual typewriters (Olympia SM-9 for home; Smith-Corona Skyriter portable for coffeeshops, libraries, and the backyard). I missed writing on a typewriter, which dates me, I know. Now I write all first drafts on typewriters and transfer them to Word files (very easy to do). Writing on a typewriter is the way to go: there’s no distractions like FaceTweet or Pinstagram or email. Just the machine, the paper, the fingers, and the brain. I love it! Hence, all first drafts of the updated material was done on those two typewriters.
Please include an excerpt of one FACT or one set of FACTS that you were most impacted by in this non-fiction work. The excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer. The most important things I got out of this was the resilience of memory, and the duty to bear witness. We owe it to those 38 children whose lives were ripped away before they even had a chance to begin.
Click to order BATH MASSACRE: AMERICA’S FIRST SCHOOL BOMBING UPDATED AND EXPANDED EDITION
Why was this one fact or one set of facts so compelling for you to discover and to write about? It informed the plot development, story lines, and my ability to imagine myself into being an eyewitness via all the research material accumulated. That, plus I was bound and determined to do the job right: be honest in the telling (which was often grisly, given the nature of the crime) while holding the victims close in heart.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. No, since I donated all my papers and interviews to the Capitol District Library in Lansing, MI. But here are two marked up pages of the copy I use for readings. These, and other marked up reading pages, helped me when it came to making changes and edits for the updated edition.
At the book launch in 2009, Josephine Cushman Vail, the survivor whom I grew close to, was at the event. While I was signing books, I looked up and saw people asking for her autograph too! It was glorious and she was loving it.
Click below to visit Arnie Bernstein’s website.