Ann Patchett’s Bookstore Pays Touching Tribute to Dolly Parton: ‘Thanks for Everything, Dolly’
Parnassus Books reflects on the singer’s 2022 visit and her literacy advocacy
Key Takeaways
- Dolly Parton visited Parnassus Books in 2022 while promoting ‘Run, Rose, Run.’
- Her Imagination Library has given away over 330 million books to children.
- Dolly created the program after growing up without many books of her own.
It’s been one day since the death of country music superstar Dolly Parton and the tributes are rolling in. Among them is a touching video post from Parnassus Books, which is located in Nashville and owned by bestselling author Ann Patchett. Below, we share what the folks at Parnassus Books said about Dolly and reveal why books were so important to the late singer.
Parnassus Books pays tribute to Dolly Parton
Dolly passed away on Tuesday, August 25, after a short battle with cancer. She was 80 years old. Prior to her death, Dolly lived in Nashville and visited Patchett’s bookstore Parnassus, in 2022, when she performed in the store.
“Tennessee legend Dolly Parton passed away yesterday. We were fortunate enough to cross paths with her in 2022 while she and co-author James Patterson were promoting their book, Run, Rose, Run,” the Parnassus team wrote on Instagram. “They came to Parnassus to film a segment for CBS Sunday Morning.”
In the post, the bookstore’s team took the time to reflect on just how much good Dolly did—both for books and for the world.
“Dolly did so much good in her life, but her initiative closest to our hearts is the Imagination Library. To date, over 330 million books have been given away to children through that organization. Her advocacy for childhood literacy was unparalleled, and she has created lifelong readers and learners through her fierce and generous support for education,” reads the caption. “Beyond books, her commitment to helping her community during times of need was tremendous. The 2016 Smoky Mountain wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, cancer research at Vanderbilt and so many other causes received Dolly’s attention, care and much-needed funds. We can’t think of a whole lot of people who better exemplified what it means to be a Tennessee volunteer. Thanks for everything, Dolly. You’ll be missed.”
After the post, readers and Dolly fans flocked to the comments to share just how much the tribute meant to them.
“Thank you for honoring her Imagination Library that creates a love of reading. I never felt she got enough credit for that,” one reader commented.
Another said, “There’s something so perfect about Dolly singing in a bookstore.”
Others took the time to share just how much they will miss Dolly, with one person commenting “I don’t usually cry when public figures die, but I did for Dolly. She was a terrific person.”
Dolly’s history with books
Dolly’s father was illiterate and her family didn’t have a lot of money for books. But when she got older and had money of her own, Dolly began reading everything in sight.
“I mean, I must read at least about 50 books a year,” Dolly told Jenna Bush Hager on her podcast, Open Book With Jenna.
She also created Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gives free books every month from birth until they start kindergarten to children across the world.
“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children,” Dolly wrote in a letter. “Of course, I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations who have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.”
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