James A. Michener
Discuss amongst yourselves (or post a reply here!):
What did you read when you were a youth? How did it affect your ideals and goals?
I'll share my own story after the first person comments.
Happy Independence Eve!
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as a youngin, I didn't read all that much, but what little I did read was either something churchy or something about the American Revolution. Many years later, I'm still very active in the church and I have a degree in political science.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not the detailed story you wanted, but at midnight, it's all you're getting.
Happy Fourth to you and your lovely wife.
As promised, my [few] words after the first comment.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I read when I was a youth? Everything. In fact, I won the March of Dimes Reading Contest at my school (grades K-8) when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. Like Chance, I've read the scriptures a lot, and other spiritual books as I've grown older.
But it was my elementary school librarian that (unwittingly, I imagine) set me on my current course. In 2nd grade I read a book about the Secret Service, written by a former Director of the Secret Service. After that, I read everything I could find about the SS, OSS, CIA, and cryptography (another great book, Codes and Ciphers, put me on a few-year amateur code writing and breaking hobby with some friends). This transititioned to fiction works by authors like Franklin W. Dixon (Hardy Boys), the great John Le Carre, and Tom Clancy.
Ever since I was small, I wanted to be involved in government, especially related to the intelligence services.
Today, it is clear to see that my ideals (both spiritual and political) were fashioned by the books I read in my youth; my career goals have been "strongly determined" by the books of my childhood.
I look forward to hearing more about the impact of books on your life. Sorry for the short post.
From the Nations Capitol, Happy Fourth of July