By John Burtis
Monday, December 5, 2005
Don't get me wrong, my old man was nothing like Murdstone, David Copperfield's stepfather in Dicken's masterpiece. Still, growing up was no piece of cake with one, critical, life altering exception; my father valued the importance of reading and never hectored me if I was so engaged.
"John," he once said to me in my very early years, " reading will open up new worlds to you. and I'll get you any book you ever ask for." He kept that promise, especially at Christmas, as did the other grownups in my extended family.
Later, Carl Sagan would hit the nail on the head when he spoke of books in his magnum opus Cosmos, when he described books as someone else's ideas coming across space and time directly to you.
Christmas was always synonymous with books. My father loved the Civil War. My mother loved adventure and tales of great courage. My kid brother loved sports. and I loved history. and while we had stockings, doo-dads, toys and boys' militaria, our booty was always measured by the number of books we received.
My mother's mother treasured books as no other and today I am still the keeper of her first edition of Ben-Hur. and it was she who showed me, reverently, with every book that I received in those early Christmas years, how to open a book from front and back so as not to break the spine. "Books are more valuable than gold, frankincense and myrrh," she once whispered with a twinkle in her eyes, " they're also gifts of the Magi."
after Christmas dinner, the house would go quiet as everyone repaired to their spot to read. Father in the den, mother in the living room, Jeff and I in our rooms and the silence would only be broken by the wind outside, the padding of stockinged feet and the clicking on of lights as purple dusk turned to winter's windy night. Later we'd critique our presents to each other.
Today I shudder for those who will not or choose not to read, because reading is the foundation of education. With unemployment at 5% in the US, unemployment for folks with a Ba hovers at 2.3%, for those with a high school diploma its about 4.7%, but for those who don't finish high school it's over 7%. But what positive reinforcement have we put in place to encourage folks to read? Merely memorizing spelling lists will not enable kids to read, nor will a few minutes homework prepare anyone to appreciate Shakespeare, Chaucer or Thackeray, or to get ahead in life.
Nor will video games bring you Nelson at Trafalgar, teach you the vagaries of economics according to Thorstein Veblen, show you the other worldly artwork of Chesley Bonestell, put you in the cockpit of a Dauntless dive bomber at Midway at the turning of the tide, or hear Churchill's ringing rebuke to calls for his surrender. I can still recall where I read those special books, what the weather was like and the music that was playing. Video games can't help you spell, show you grammar, widen your knowledge base, or lead to discussions of primary and secondary sources. Video games and toys are for the now but books are for forever. Games and toys wear out, but knowledge is the foundation for a lifetime of success.
Barnes & Noble was packed Saturday as I looked for presents for my wife. But as I cruised the aisles I noticed that something was missing - children. Where are all the kids making their lists of books for Christmas?
The gifts of the Magi are waiting. Tens of thousands of them on hundreds of shelves. There for the asking. They rarely wear out, they don't need batteries and you learn something new every time you use one.
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