Friday, June 12, 2015

The funny things kids say

So both of my daughters are avid readers.  Imagine that.  Books have been part of their lives since they were in utero.   That said, I'm swimming in the pool the other day with my youngest and she says, "Mom, if you could only save 10 books and all the rest would burn, which ones would you save?"   Naturally I asked her if I could count a complete series as "one" otherwise I've got problems.
This was a thought provoking question and like the, "What is your favorite book" question - my answer would probably vary from day to day.  However, my answer for today is this....

Of course Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia all get saved.  The world needs magic but these books are all so much more than that.  They remind us of who we want to be and all the things that are worth fighting for.  But after those three, things get a bit murkier.

There has to be some Ayn Rand in there - probably Atlas Shrugged. Maybe if I chose Fahrenheit 451, people would change their minds and no longer burn books, so that has to be one.   Also Night by Ellie Weisel - because after they burn books, they burn people.  We can never forget. How about either Reading Lolita in Tehran or A Thousand Splendid Suns?  I would choose these because I think it's important to know and understand that things are very different in other parts of the world.   It's amazing how much we, as Americans, take for granted. The Outsiders would be one for two reasons - 1.  I have always loved and will always love Ponyboy Curtis and 2.  it's a reminder that we are all more alike than we are different.  I would have to choose The Federalist Papers as a way of, I hope, preserving the best ideals that my country represents. ( One would certainly hope that among that is NOT burning books....) and finally, Gone with the Wind, just because I love it that much.  

If you had to choose, what books would you save and why???

No comments:

Post a Comment