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Guest column

Books are a big influence on lives

By NANCI G. DENAMEN
Published March 18, 2005

The Freedom of Information Act was signed into law in 1966 by a kicking and screaming Lyndon B. Johnson who then went out to claim credit for it.

As the coordinator of the adult literacy program for the District School Board of Pasco County, one of the most important lessons I teach my students is the wonderful opportunities we in the United Sates have to find information. Another lesson they learn is how books influence their lives in one way or another.

My favorite book, a book of comfort to me, is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I was raised in the slow, lazy South. I remember the dirt roads, the hot summer nights and segregation. I read this book at least once a year.

I invited several citizens in our community to share the book that has influenced their lives. Here are a few of the responses:

As a child, I was not a big reader. I have no memory of a favorite book. However, when I had my own children, I would read to them every day.

The favorite book in our home was The Little Engine That Could. We read that book every day for years. It taught my children to never give up. When they would get frustrated with something, we would say, "I think I can, I think I can." It also taught them that it is okay to ask for help.

It is 15 years later and we still say, "I think I can, I think I can" when my children want to give up. - Michael Ferro, assistant plant manager, Marchman Technical Education Center.

There have been many books that have impacted my life. One of those having a large impact was The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum. The reason I say this is because this was the first book that I bought on my own. I think I paid something like $1.65 through the school book purchase plan.

I must have read this book two dozen times. It delighted me each time; and instilled a love a reading which has continued to this day. - County Commissioner Steve Simon.

I have always been an avid reader. However, growing up in a time when there were no e-books, the local library was miles away and a school library was nonexistent made securing reading material difficult.

Lucky for me I had an aunt and uncle who were voracious readers. Aunt Marie and Uncle Charlie provided a wide array of reading material for me. At 12 years old I had read Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel, Gone With the Wind and many other classics.

However, the books that made the greatest impression on me were the ones about China. My Aunt Marie was an Army nurse during World War II and was stationed on the China-Burma front. She introduced me to the works of Pearl Buck and Lin Yutang. My favorite was Moment in Peking.

This book fueled my love for Chinese history and shaped a dream. This dream was fulfilled more than 50 years later when I finally walked on the Great Wall. - County Commissioner Pat Mulieri.

As a boy, I always enjoyed books about the Wild West like Kit Carson or Daniel Boone. I also enjoyed books like Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As I've grown older, I read more biographies, my favorite being Winston Churchill. I also enjoy self-help books like Nick Murray's The Excellent Investment Adviser. I have to say the book I enjoy most often is the Bible. I read it each day just after I get up. It's a great way to start the day. - Ronald May, financial adviser, A.G. Edwards and Son.

The last response was dictated to me by Woody Gay, one of my literacy students. Mr. Gay is 83 years old. He never attended school and began working in the fields when he was 3 years old. He has provided well for his family. He is a very smart man. He just doesn't have the skill of reading that most adults have. He still works harder physically than any three men I know.

"My favorite book is More Stories 1 and 2. Because I never read a book before. I always wanted to read a schoolbook. I never went to school so I never read a book. Now I can read my schoolbook! The next book I want to be able to read is the Bible. But I have to come to school to learn more first."

Nanci G. Denamen is the Reading Assistant Program coordinator at the Marchman Technical Education Center in New Port Richey. Guest columnists write their own views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.

[Last modified March 18, 2005, 00:43:17]