What do I love about FTT? there is laughter (I just listened to the book and Bea's comments often bring smiles) while being presented with the MOST important--often very disturbing--news topics with suggestions of what we can do in our lives to make a difference. Thank you-- This reminder of the joyful and educational experiences we gain from reading makes all the more urgent our need to defend books and our teachers- Thank you as always! (and I'm with Harriet about socks- a constant challenge!!)
Thank you, Katy! We love our library! I grew up without a library, so I just started reading my mom's books quite young... kind of a crazy intro to the patriarchy (The Color Purple, The Handmaid's Tale were some of the first I remember...) and in King William, the library is even today just a storefront inside a strip mall, next to a gun shop I think (Mamie can confirm). It is such a gift to step inside of the beautiful Pittsboro library and have so much help finding things, plus new books all the time. Plus you and Kathleen! The best.
Bravo! Always insightful and a joy to read! Agree with you, Belle! Reading is the activity I do most at this stage of my life. Right now I am on a mystery jag…. And Louise Penny’s Inspector GAMACHE is my favorite character…. He is such a good person 💚. Love to you and your family. Pat
Thank you, Pat! And thank you for the book rec! Have you read anything by S.A. Cosby? He grew up in Mathews, more of a noir writer, but his work is next on my list.
When someone tells me they don't like to read, I always tell them they just haven't found the right book. When my students claimed to not like reading, it became my mission to find them them the right book. One such student exclaimed as she sat reading Native Son, "Mrs. Robinette, this book is off the chain!" Another student described a biography of Frederick Douglass as "like crack cocaine" for him.
The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
Thank you, Jill and Anne! I can totally picture that, Anne, and there is nothing better than matching books with readers--which you still do all the time (for me!)!
I love this article, everything about it. It reminded me of when my son was Bea's age. I also completely agree with your analysis of the war on teachers. It is a very disturbing movement that displays the authoritarian strain in our current political culture, and that has become, it seems, a politically and culturally acceptable outlet for pure bigotry. I find it interesting how, no matter the progress made against racism, homophobia, xenophobia and other forms of bigotry, bigotry always seems to be seeking a new path for its expression. It is like plugging a hole in a leaky bucket. As soon as you do, another leak springs forth. It's like an insect that keeps coming back after you thought you squashed it. Now the attack is on education, which is, after all, the ultimate antidote to ignorance and bigotry. Rather than seeking to eradicate this mold, which by its very nature is difficult to get rid of, there are some, for purposes of political power, who seek to cultivate the damp, stifling environment that facilitates its growth. These people, these political or cultural leaders, are the real enemies of sunlight, the ones who seek to suffocate, to infect us, so that they may rise to their own self-defined glory.
What do I love about FTT? there is laughter (I just listened to the book and Bea's comments often bring smiles) while being presented with the MOST important--often very disturbing--news topics with suggestions of what we can do in our lives to make a difference. Thank you-- This reminder of the joyful and educational experiences we gain from reading makes all the more urgent our need to defend books and our teachers- Thank you as always! (and I'm with Harriet about socks- a constant challenge!!)
This friend speaks my mind!! Great post, as always! And I donated to Mr. Price. What maddening nonsense!!
Thank you for the Chatham County Public Libraries shoutout! We love to recommend books to young readers!
Thank you, Katy! We love our library! I grew up without a library, so I just started reading my mom's books quite young... kind of a crazy intro to the patriarchy (The Color Purple, The Handmaid's Tale were some of the first I remember...) and in King William, the library is even today just a storefront inside a strip mall, next to a gun shop I think (Mamie can confirm). It is such a gift to step inside of the beautiful Pittsboro library and have so much help finding things, plus new books all the time. Plus you and Kathleen! The best.
Bravo! Always insightful and a joy to read! Agree with you, Belle! Reading is the activity I do most at this stage of my life. Right now I am on a mystery jag…. And Louise Penny’s Inspector GAMACHE is my favorite character…. He is such a good person 💚. Love to you and your family. Pat
Thank you, Pat! And thank you for the book rec! Have you read anything by S.A. Cosby? He grew up in Mathews, more of a noir writer, but his work is next on my list.
Super !! Always open to new voices♥️♥️
When someone tells me they don't like to read, I always tell them they just haven't found the right book. When my students claimed to not like reading, it became my mission to find them them the right book. One such student exclaimed as she sat reading Native Son, "Mrs. Robinette, this book is off the chain!" Another student described a biography of Frederick Douglass as "like crack cocaine" for him.
The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
My love to all!
Thank you, Jill and Anne! I can totally picture that, Anne, and there is nothing better than matching books with readers--which you still do all the time (for me!)!
I love this article, everything about it. It reminded me of when my son was Bea's age. I also completely agree with your analysis of the war on teachers. It is a very disturbing movement that displays the authoritarian strain in our current political culture, and that has become, it seems, a politically and culturally acceptable outlet for pure bigotry. I find it interesting how, no matter the progress made against racism, homophobia, xenophobia and other forms of bigotry, bigotry always seems to be seeking a new path for its expression. It is like plugging a hole in a leaky bucket. As soon as you do, another leak springs forth. It's like an insect that keeps coming back after you thought you squashed it. Now the attack is on education, which is, after all, the ultimate antidote to ignorance and bigotry. Rather than seeking to eradicate this mold, which by its very nature is difficult to get rid of, there are some, for purposes of political power, who seek to cultivate the damp, stifling environment that facilitates its growth. These people, these political or cultural leaders, are the real enemies of sunlight, the ones who seek to suffocate, to infect us, so that they may rise to their own self-defined glory.
Thank you, Mark. I really appreciate you as a neighbor!