Saturday, January 07, 2012

RIF

Sully has this quote:
Once upon a time in the dead of winter in the Dakota Territory, Theodore Roosevelt took off in a makeshift boat down the Little Missouri River in pursuit of a couple of thieves who had stolen his prized rowboat. After several days on the river, he caught up and got the draw on them with his trusty Winchester, at which point they surrendered. Then Roosevelt set off in a borrowed wagon to haul the thieves cross-country to justice. They headed across the snow-covered wastes of the Badlands to the railhead at Dickinson, and Roosevelt walked the whole way, the entire 40 miles. It was an astonishing feat, what might be called a defining moment in Roosevelt’s eventful life. But what makes it especially memorable is that during that time, he managed to read all of Anna Karenina. I often think of that when I hear people say they haven’t time to read.
One of my favorite classes in college was a Young Adult Lit class, and the one thing I remember from it is how important it is to get kids to read - no matter what, my professor said: even if it's the cereal box, just keep them reading.  I'll never forget what he said: "Reading isn't the icing on top of the cake.  It's the goddam cake."

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