When I was a young, my father always gave me books in hopes I would read them. I never did. I was more entertained by comic books like Calvin & Hobbs, Garfield, Lucky Luke, Asterix & Obelix, etc... To my father's dismay, he kept handing me books, and I put them on my book shelf...unread. He loved Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham...and I perused Tin Tin until the wee hours.
To humor him, I would read 20 pages and then give up. He never stopped offering books, saying: "You haven't found the right one yet!" Over time, I got discouraged...then one day he handed me The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. BINGO! I was hooked. This book spoke to me. The main character was inquisitive and didn't fit in. That was me! I connected with the character and the book...and this gave me strength...it told me I was not alone. I wanted more. The next book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. At first, I thought it was just a short book about birds....
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight, and a homily about self-perfection....
“You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way".”
.... and BINGO #2! I discovered the love of reading!
Connections to books can come in different forms but they are generally emotional. However, emotions and states of mind are ever changing. I reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond when my children read it in 4th grade and was surprised that the book didn't have the same effect on me. I am in a different place now and my emotions are no longer attached to an uncomfortable tween. I still enjoyed the story and appreciated my children's first experience with the book, but the memory of the impact of that book on my life still exists and it reminds me of how far I've come.
Have any books impacted you deeply?
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