Commentary
A college-bound granddaughter recently read an article I’d written in March for The Epoch Times, “Classics Don’t Always Make the ‘Classics’ List.” When she’d finished the article, the granddaughter told me I might enjoy a look at the comments.
Maggie’s an astute young lady, and in this case, she was absolutely on target—124 readers had chimed in with mini-reviews and recommendations of beloved older books. Besides sharing some wonderful titles and authors, these bibliophiles revealed the best of the internet and our ability to connect through a shared passion. There were no potshots, no snark, just devotees of the written word who wanted to share their enthusiasm.
Let’s take a look. I’ve identified the commenters by their screen names.
School Days
Two homeschool moms jumped in to agree with a complaint made by an Advanced Placement Literature student mentioned in the article: “Why are so many of the novels we read so depressing?” Kristin Kas 1’s son, for example, had asked the same question and then added, “Are they trying to get us to hate books?”
The literary thorns in that young man’s side were Charles Dickens’s “Great Expectations” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” both of which I’ve read and taught. There’s room for argument over the worth of these books as student fare, yet unlike some modern works on school reading lists, both offer life-enhancing lessons if we reach for them.
On a different note, two elementary school teachers told of books they’d read aloud to their students. Gail reported that C.S. Lewis’s “Narnia” books were a hit: “The children loved them. It was the best time of the day!” Loriham0730 said: “I read the entire Little House series to my students. There’s so much to learn from those books even as an adult.”
Before sharing the titles of some of her favorite books, Catherine commented, “I still remember the high school torture of enduring Steinbeck.” Her criticism dredged up my own memories of the secondary school agonies delivered by “Moby-Dick.”
So here’s a good lesson for all teachers: Push your students to read great literature, but some books are better reserved for a later stage of education.
Ways of Reading
Liz started her list of favorites by remarking: “My mom read out loud to us (including when my older brother came home from college) almost every night. It was a great way to experience the classics and many other titles.”
She reminded the rest of us of this fine old tradition of reading aloud, practiced in many American households in earlier times, which fuels literacy while strengthening family ties.
Two commenters offered other suggestions linking family and books. Phyllis mentioned that she and her husband had read Richard Adams’s “Watership Down” together and had then recommended it to their adult children for their grandchildren.
Badgermom2 wrote that she was sending my article to her “family book club.” Although I’ve belonged to book clubs and know of specialized book clubs, this was new to me. What a wonderful idea! Bringing family members together, either in person or via Zoom, by sharing a book seems like a great way to stay in touch while enriching relationships.
The Delights of Discovery
For the print-and-paper crowd, having friends recommend unfamiliar titles or authors is a joy, like receiving unexpected gifts. The lists and suggestions of these commenters didn’t disappoint, for here was an entire shelf of books I’d never heard of.
Dc3roberts, for instance, introduced us to Patricia Veryan, a writer of “(clean) romance and adventure books that take place in Great Britain in the Georgian and Regency periods,” followed by Bellstellb with J. Ryan Stradal’s “The Lager Queen of Minnesota.”
Kay Spruce wrote that Lisa See’s “Snowflower and the Secret Fan” along with Adriana Trigiani’s “The Shoemaker’s Wife” “continue to tug at” her heart and emotions.
Among Joel Salazar’s dozen recommendations was “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” another stranger to me.
Other commenters brought up childhood books that had passed me by. ElmerFudd—that handle brings a smile—wrote that Victor Appleton’s “Tom Swift” books lit a fire in him at 12 that has persisted.
Care Deeply lavished praise on the works of Madeleine L’Engle, particularly her award-winning “A Wrinkle in Time.”
A Quick Response to Critics
Some readers questioned my omissions. CrimsonOne13 wondered why Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” didn’t make the cut, to which I can only reply that there simply wasn’t room to include all the great books, nor was that my intention.
Mary found it “sad to have left out Harry Potter unless you have religious objections.” Time for a confession: My four children loved the Harry Potter books and encouraged me to read them. I tried twice, but Harry just didn’t appeal to me. With some exceptions, fantasy isn’t to my taste, and with more than 600 million of the books sold, clearly the fault lies with me.
Finally, a reprimand from someone using the screen name Ernest Hemingway made me smile. This faux Hemingway declared the real Hemingway “one of the greatest, if not the greatest, writer of all time.” He also took umbrage at the article’s photo of Hemingway with his wife Mary, “the least attractive” of his wives.
The paper selects the pictures, not me, but screen name Hemingway has a point about Papa’s literary prowess. I’ve read practically everything he wrote plus three biographies. He wasn’t the greatest writer of all time, but he is one of the greats.
Responsibility
Some may wonder why I’m devoting an entire column to these suggestions. Why not simply point interested readers to the comments section of the article?
Here are my reasons. First, like the commenters, I love books and writing about books. All these comments celebrate the written word and the imagination. In their recommendations, you can feel the love of these men and women for the books that have helped shape their lives.
Second, many of those who responded are clearly older, some perhaps as old as my own threescore and 15 years. Several wrote of having influenced students, children, and grandchildren by sharing books with them and encouraging them in their reading.
We live in a time when the number of book readers is shrinking, while the general population, young and old, has wholeheartedly turned to screens. All those who responded to my article and all who love books are rapidly becoming a remnant. Yet the comments revealed that the fire in our hearts is still ablaze, that our passion for paper and print and the written word is still burning.
Let’s make it our mission to pass this torch to the young, to do all we can to encourage a love of reading and books in them.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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