Mario and Matilda Cuomo Come to Words

On Saturday, Feb. 28, Words Bookstore will welcome its first guest author.  And they’re starting off with a bang: former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and his wife, Matilda.

How did the nationally-known political couple become the first guest authors at Words Bookstore, which had their grand opening celebration a scant week ago? Well, for two reasons. The first is that the owners of Words and the Cuomos share common ground in terms of philosophy and commitment to social action. The second is that the owners of Words and the Cuomos share common ground personally, too.

“Both of the Cuomos have long histories of dedicating themselves to the public welfare,” Words owner Jonah Zimiles said.

Zimiles’s goal for words is to be more than a simple bookstore, but to be an active part of Maplewood’s community, particularly regarding people with special needs. As part of the mission stated on their Web site, they “strive to help Maplewood become a model community of inclusion through our treatment of disabled customers and employees.”

“[The Cuomos] appreciate what we’re doing for the community,” Zimiles said. He added that the Cuomo’s history of advocacy, “in particular for people who are unable to advocate for themselves” lined up with his goals for Words.

Matilda Cuomo is reading from her book The Person Who Changed My Life: Prominent Americans Recall Their Mentors. For the book, which includes a forward by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Cuomo interviewed famous and noteworthy people about who inspired them in their youth. 

Mario Cuomo also published a book recently, C Is for Ciao: An Italy Alphabet, a children’s book that highlights the one-time presidential contender’s longtime promotion of Italian culture. In addition, Cuomo’s 2004 book Why Lincoln Matters is of current interest. The 16th president’s "team of rivals" form of advisors has become a hot topic in the business community, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth and also, as Cuomo himself has noted, another former Illinois senator has been making headlines lately.

Those books, Zimiles said, are good examples of Words’s strong dedication to offering non-fiction in addition to novels.

“Goldfinch [the bookstore around the corner that Zimiles purchased and tranformed into Words] had a strong following for fiction,” Zimiles said. “We want to build on that, but also develop a strong reputation for non-fiction.”

So they knew the Cuomos were great, and that they would be a great choice for the bookstore. Also, it helped that they knew the Cuomos.

Governor Cuomo is the chairman of the Board of Directors for Daylight Forensic and Advisory, LLC, a leading regulatory consulting and investigative firm whose co-founder and CEO is Ellen Zimiles, Jonah's wife.

“We knew Mario Cuomo, and were so taken with his wife,” Zimiles said.

The Cuomos will be at Words from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. They will both read from their books. Copies of Mario Cuomo’s C is for Ciao, The Blue Spruce and Why Lincoln Matters and Matilda Cuomo’s The Person who Changed My Life will be available for purchase, and the Cuomos will be signing copies.