Reading Influences: My Formative Years
Stardate: 96606.82
Like I noted in my blog last month, I read a lot of books during my childhood. Out of all those books that I read between the ages of seven and fourteen there were some whose characters, story line experiences, and lessons learned remained with me throughout my life. Later in life, I would pause in the midst of adversity or loneliness to reflect upon a passage recalled from one of these stories. Some of these stories stayed with me because of the strong emotional pull evoked by the author’s characterization or setting description. The writing styles employed in the books I so vividly remember varied with only the common trait of character resiliency being exhibited. The demonstration of this resiliency trait by the main characters, I believe, helped me to navigate circumstances that the randomness of life handed me later.
Charlotte’s Web made it evident to me that there were certain social mores that needed to be followed in order to most effectively manage difficult situations and people. It also made it clear the cycle of life and that though we cannot physically hold onto the people we love forever (or at least throughout our entire life), we can hold onto our memories of them: their words, their kindnesses, their lessons, and the special times that were shared together. It was also the first book I read that made me cry. That powerful emotion is one reason why the story has remained with me.
Justin Morgan had a Horse (Doesn’t every girl have a horse story in her reading past?) was the quintessential American story of rising from humble beginnings to achieve good things that benefitted others. The horse was described as loyal and hardworking. It was considered the ultimate all-purpose horse that could plow the field as well as gently and stately pull the family carriage. It not only was strong, but also, quick a-hoof. It could out-pull and out-run most other breeds of the period. Later in life I would characterize myself as the Morgan horse—someone who quickly got up to speed on a project (quick a-hoof) and stayed with it until it was accomplished (the steady, plow-horse). I was not the thoroughbred quarter horse adorned with the oversized horseshoe of roses at the end of a victorious quarter-mile race. I was the reliable work horse who all my managers turned to when a project needed to be completed, on time and with quality.
A Wrinkle in Time was introduced to me by my fifth grade teacher during read-aloud time (SHOUTOUT to Mrs. Wright!).
It was the first book I read (that was not a woman’s biography) that featured a girl as the protagonist: Meg (“Megaparsec”). And, she wasn’t just any girl, she was a smart girl who had faults! She was not particularly happy with her looks! She did tomboy things, too, AND she was smart in ways that were different from the other kids! I have read the book probably close to 30 times as I also used it as a teacher of Language Arts to teach about characterization. I also defended the book when a parent (who had never read the book) objected to its use at the school because it promoted the devil (she held up a copy of the paperback book that had the unfortunate cover depicting the “Man with Red Eyes”). I then informed her that the book promoted the ideals of love and inclusion, and without giving away the ending, let her know that it was love that saved the children and Meg’s family. I also told the rather surprised parent that it was obvious to me that she had not even read the book (She reluctantly admitted she hadn’t.). I ended our conversation by explaining to her that I would be happy to discuss the book with her only after she took the opportunity to actually read it. I never heard back from her after that visit. Every time I re-read the story, I recall what a comfort Meg’s character was to me during those times when I felt alienated and different from my classmates.
I will confess that I do love a good mystery story. My favorite readings from sixth grade through adulthood have been the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am a fan of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but loved The Hound of the Baskervilles. It took me to the moors of England, where I stood and stared down the ghostly hound. I got to listen as Holmes reasoned aloud. I visualized Holmes as he collected and examined the clues and evidence around him to unravel the mystery and save the family home.
Lisa Bright and Dark was my first introduction to how literature could be used to place a human face on a social issue or taboo, such as mental illness. It was a compelling story that enlightened me as to the ravages of mental illness and educated me as to the signs. Mental health issues are still important to me as a responsible citizen and a caring human being. I’ll expound on this at some point in future blog entries, of that I am certain.
My other pleasure reading that I go back to every now and again are the science fiction stories of Ray Bradbury. Many of his short story collections have schooled me on human behavior and kept me company during stormy nights. I do love his writing style and marvel at how he creates living and breathing characters in such short writing spaces. My favorite Bradbury short story is the Toynbee Convector due to its positive aspirations for mankind’s future. My favorite Bradbury novel is Fahrenheit 451 (SHOUTOUT to Mrs. Bennett who introduced me to the author’s writings in her English class). Even though his stories are considered science fiction, his stories demonstrate to me the impacts of scientific discoveries and advancements on the individual and society. By setting the stories in the future, he frees us from our present-day mindset, allowing us to explore the ramifications of scientific advancements without preconceived notions. His novel 451oF demonstrates what befalls a democratic society that no longer prizes reasonable-ness and critical thinking among its people. The importance of critical thinking has been paramount throughout my life, so I am positive that topic will come up again in a future blog.
So, what am I reading now?
I am in research mode for the sequel to my novel Along the River Road (cue shameless product plug here with graphic: available through Amazon),
so I am consuming Scott McCloud’s book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. It is a quick study of how to represent stories visually.
Why am I educating myself on comics and visual stories?
A new character in my sequel addresses his feelings through crafting a graphic novel.
So, is the sequel itself going to be a graphic novel? (You may be asking yourself right about now.)
No,
but there will be some elements of graphic novel-type illustrations used to provide insight into the new character’s development. The new character’s name is Deshi and he is a Chinese American, high school coder. More on him in a future blog.
Below is a sneak peek of one such graphic novel-type illustration to be used in the sequel.
Special thanks to illustrator Chris Fredricks who is creating these images for me.
More on the sequel later in a future blog.
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