Friday, July 22, 2011

The Reading Promis: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma 279p.

The daughter of a former school librarian recreates a reading journal of milestones in her reading adventure with her father. Before her eccentric mother abandoned the family (the author is rather harsh on ol' Mom), she and her father made a pact to read everyday together; or rather dad would read to her. Or rather, more of a reading performance, since he would practice before the day's reading. He read to her, mostly in person although a couple of times over the phone for over 2,000nights. Yeah, I am jealous. My dad never read to me. It is not a mere listing of titles (although there is a list at the back), but more an introspective look at a rather unique father/daughter relationship. Mom makes occasional reappearances and an older sister quickly rejects the nightly read alouds. Alice (her adopted name) comes off as a bright, gifted student with a lot of brains and charm; Dad is somewhat clueless about money and is not the warmest individual. Although I did read a lot aloud to my family, this book makes me wish that I had insisted on reading more nights together.

No comments:

Post a Comment