This question brings to mind my first experience with reading at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Southwestern Philadelphia, where I attended from kindergarten through 7th grade before moving to the suburbs. At that time, it was the largest Catholic elementary school in the United States, with around 3,700 students enrolled in the early to mid-1960s. The school was founded in 1901, and construction was completed in 1924. Unfortunately, it fell into disrepair with the migration to the suburbs, and both the church and school closed by 2007. I included this history for those who stumble upon this prompt.
In kindergarten, I had Miss. Betty. So I guess the building blocks to reading started here. We had colorful boxes containing numbers and letters that we used forming our first words, the “at” and “it” words. Alongside our reading lessons, we also practiced counting to 100 and were taught the expected traits of acceptable behavior per Catholic values.
My first-grade teacher, Sister Mary Anthony, IHM (Immaculate Heart of Mary), was likely one of the most influential educators in my life and certainly a mentor. Under her guidance, we were introduced to the world of “Fun with Dick and Jane,” along with their baby sister Sally, Spot the dog, and Zeke the gardener. Later, my older brothers introduced me to comic books, Mad Magazine, and other fun reading materials. However, I remember one Christmas our parents surprised us with the Hardy Boys and my sister’s Nancy Drew mystery series. These books were probably the precursor Clutch Cargo, Johnny Quest and the Scooby Doo Cartoons.
Along the book path to my interests of today were Treasure Island and Blackbeard or Long John Silver, Charlottes Web or Alice in Wonderland. Hobby stores selling models were big when we were kids, which sparked interest in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Seven Voyages of Sinbad, and what guy didn’t like Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, or Ulysses? These were childhood reads, and the question posed in this prompt leans more toward serious reads. Several books come to mind, and I am much too old now to remember my age or the chronological order. So here goes nothing.
Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, authored notable works such as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Other influential writers include Jules Verne, known for “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote classics like “The Raven,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”
I also appreciate early biographies of key figures such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Samuel Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson. Additionally, I enjoy works like “The Last Catholic in America” by John Powers and “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?”
Charles Dickens resonates with me even more than Shakespeare, with favorites including “A Christmas Carol,” “Great Expectations,” and “A Tale of Two Cities.” I also appreciate Pearl S. Buck’s “The Good Earth” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Throughout my years, I have read many great authors from different genres, and I am sure I will continue to do so until I am lost to the pages of time, a fate we all eventually share. Coming Soon! A Chance Encounter… Also, Capture the Magic! A Glimpse from Christmas Past – A true Philadelphia Holiday story! Available in Book, E*Read or Audio at http://www.A-Glimpse-from-Christmas-Past@Audible.com
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