Children’s Literature Autobiography
Throughout my life I had periods when I was engaged in reading and periods when I was not. Engagement in material came in different forms, whether it was from the person reading or teaching or from the subject matter of the material. Sadly, reading for enjoyment did not occur until later into my adult life.
When I was very young I read things such as Cat in the Hat, the Golden books and specifically Scuffy the Tugboat. I think that these books stay with me today because of the interaction I had with my mother while she read them to me. She helped the stories come to life because she would read them with feeling and she would let me study the pictures.
There are only a few books that I can remember reading during elementary school such as The Berenstain Bears and Shel Silversteins’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree. The Berenstain Bears was interesting to me because I thought that it was neat that these books were about talking bears and their lives that were like human lives. I could really imagine a world full of talking bears! Shel Silverstein’s books had stories that I thought were relevant to my life at the time. I do not remember all of the specifics from Where the Sidewalk Ends, but it must have made an impact on me because I still remember it as one of my favorites. The Giving Tree was a touching story about self-sacrifice that I have actually reflected on in my adult life as a valid life lesson.
Junior high and high school became a time when I felt that I was less engaged in reading, required or otherwise. I did not always like the reading material, nor was interested in writing about it. One of the books I do remember enjoying was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I loved to imagine myself with Tom having the adventure of a lifetime. High school English class was a dreaded time, especially when we read things like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I could not relate to any of the characters, therefore I did not remain interested. When we read books with action and adventure, such a Hamlet, I would regain interest. I have always liked to imagine myself going on the adventures of the characters, but usually only those with adventurous tones. What also kept me interested in my high school reading was a great teacher named Mrs. McDougal. Her excitement for the material the emotion that she used to teach it helped to keep me engaged.
While in college I recall enjoying the book We Were Soldiers Once…And Young by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway in a history class. This was a sad account of the Vietnam War, but it helped me connect with my father and better understand his experience in the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is another book that I recall enjoying. Again the story took place in Vietnam and it shed more light on my father’s experiences. I had a connection to both of these books and I have now recommended them to several of my friends who either have had parents in Vietnam or who enjoy history.
After graduating from Tech I did not read for enjoyment. I read things like sports magazines and articles in the newspaper. A few years ago, however, a friend of mine gave me a book called The Greatest Player Who Never Lived by J. Michael Veron. As sad as it sounds this was probably the first book that I read cover to cover without wanting to put it down. After reading this book, I read the sequel by Mr. Veron
The Greatest Course That Never Was. Again, I found another book that I did not want to put down until I was finished. After reading both of these books I recommended them to several of my golfing friends, because they both are great golf stories and interesting books.
This is the first time that I can remember being at a point in my life I do not mind reading. I think I have found books that peak my interest and found an author, J. Michael Vernon, which I really like. I have started to look for other books that he has written, some of which are about golf and others which are not.
To really reflect on my life as a reader, I would have to say that reading has been a struggle, but I have finally found the reasons behind reading. I do not read just because I love to read. I read because the material has to the have a personal connection to me. I read because I find a story that helps me connect to other people’s experiences, I can imagine myself in the adventure or the person bringing it to my attention is what makes the story interesting. I am glad to have made this recent self-discovery of my reading patterns and I hope to use this to my advantage in the future.
