When mentioning author and philanthropist Cynthia Kagan Frohlichstein, the best word that comes to mind is “spunk.” You can spot her around town at different events, chatting and mingling, owning the crowd.
And frankly, she has much to celebrate.
Celebrating her 40th year of being cancer-free, Frohlichstein has not slowed down her attempts at showing the world that giving is as good as receiving. She’s written children’s books on the topic of “giving back” and life lessons in hopes that young people will carry the torch forward.
To keep the momentum going, Frohlichstein donates a portion of the proceeds from her book sales to cancer organizations and other non-profits.
On Friday’s “Cityscape,” Frohlichstein joined guest host Don Marsh to discuss her philanthropy efforts and her books “The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid” and “The Peanut Butter Birthday Party.”
What’s the meaning behind the “peanut butter” of the book titles?
It all started with her son Michael’s love for peanut butter. Frohlichstein explained that she spent countless moments taking trips to grocery stores picking up jars of peanut butter for Michael, and as he got older, the jars became bigger.
As a travel writer, Frohlichstein had plans to write a book. When her husband could no longer travel with her, she decided it was time to write her first book “The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid,” mirroring her son’s love for peanut butter.
“The moral of [the book] is that too much of a good thing is not a good thing,” Frohlichstein said.
Frohlichstein released her second book “The Peanut Butter Birthday Party” in 2014. The book involves the main character giving support to a cancer organization.
“Children should start at an early age thinking about other people,” Frohlichstein said of the moral of the book.
“Cityscape” is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and sponsored in part by the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.
