Mary Budde, WATG Treasurer
As the expression goes, if I had a nickel for everytime my parents told me there was nothing I couldn’t learn if I could read, well, I’d be rich. Up through elementary school, my mom and I would go to the public library after school on Thursdays and check out our reading for the coming week. I was fortunate to grow up close to a large neighborhood library, in which there was never a shortage of books that piqued my interest. As an adult, I count reading as one of my treasured daily pleasures. There is a natural progression of listening, to reading, to writing throughout childhood, although reading and writing are intertwined. Reading to a child in infancy and beyond has repeatedly been shown to benefit children in many ways; in addition, it’s very enjoyable for the adult doing the reading. I would argue it is just as enjoyable to read a favorite book to an elderly person who can no longer do so themselves. We all have books that, for one reason or another, are our favorites. Maybe they are associated with a particular person or memory, or were just plain enjoyable. The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, and Other Remarkable People is a collection of short essays of the contributors’ selections, and explanations of the books which impacted them. Most of the books the contributors cite were read up to early adulthood, although there are a few exceptions. Some are ones you might expect: The Odyssey, Animal Farm, Pride and Prejudice and Slaughterhouse-Five. Others are less traditional: Green Eggs and Ham, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pinocchio, and the Nancy Drew series. However, there are a number of common themes in the essays as to the reasoning for the selections. How many of these apply when you think of books that made an impact on you?
Think about your own selections and how they influenced you. How can you help your children find theirs from the past and present? Has your child read your most impactful book? Form your own family book club to explore books together. It will be an enjoyable and meaningful journey. ***************************************************************************************** The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, and Other Remarkable People By Bethanne Patrick. Regan Arts. (March 29, 2016) *****************************************************************************************
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