Chris Smith: At the Sonoma County Museum, a powerful Día de los Muertos display

See if you’re not inspired by the letters that children wrote to lost loved ones, and by the many other stirring elements of Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead - exhibit at the Sonoma County Museum.

Central is the great, green cage by Ruben Guzman, from which 51 winged hearts escape and transform as they rise toward the sky.

The hearts’ maker, Tracy Ferron, tells of being inspired by the discovery that children with cerebral palsy years ago were subjected to medical experiments at what was then Sonoma State Hospital.

“The piece,” she says, “is about the cage of trauma and how, through witness and acknowledgment, we can come together to build a new story to liberate ourselves and others.”

The exhibition will be up at the museum through Nov 4.

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IN A BOOK CLUB? Even if it’s a club of one you might like to know of a novel event that happens Nov. 18 in Santa Rosa.

The experience will be richest if you arrive having read “Beneath A Scarlet Sky,” the Amazon best-selling historical novel that author Mark Sullivan based on the extraordinary life during World War II of an Italian teenager, Pino Lella.

Pino helped Jews escape the Nazis, and at age 18 felt he had no option but to join the German army. The job to which he was assigned: driving for one of Hitler’s top officers in Italy, Gen. Hans Leyers.

Pino found the assignment with the Nazis served him well: as a spy for the Allies. That truly happened, and today Pino is 92 and lives near Milan.

Actor Tom Holland (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”) is earmarked to star when “Beneath A Scarlet Sky” is adapted to the screen.

Pino Lella has a son, Michael, who lives in Tuolumne County. At 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, Michael will be at Piner High School’s theater to talk about his father’s wilder-than-fiction war experiences and about the book.

Hosting his appearance will be members of Santa Rosa Team Phoenix, who are committed to giving to the family of every Santa Rosa City Schools student whose home burned last year $400 in gift cards and certificates to local merchants.

Admission to the event at Piner is $20. For tickets, go to santarosateamphoenix.org.

An added attraction: a raffle of pendants Michael Owen of Santa Rosa made from copper salvaged from the ruins of homes of people close to him.

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KATI’S PIES NOURISH - twice.

This is year eight that Kati Hilario of Santa Rosa and a kitchen-load of helpers will bake pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, sell them for $15 each and donate the proceeds to the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Kati could have passed this year. Having founded Pies for Poverty at age 12, she’s now 19 and plenty busy as a sophomore at Sacramento State.

But she says she’s determined to raise a lot of money for the food bank as it toils to meet the increased demand created by the disastrous fires.

Since 2011, Kati has baked 1,112 pies and donated $19,718 to the REFB. Kati invites us to order a pie or two for ourselves, and another one or two that she will present to first responders. You can pick up your pie or pies at the food bank, or Kati and company will deliver them.

To order or to learn more, email Kati at piesforpoverty@outlook.com.

The deadline to order is ?Nov. 17.

You can reach Staff Writer Chris Smith at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.