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The Read With Us Lounge: My Mother’s Influence
I would not be the reader that I am today were it not for my mother.
She read picture books to me when I was a child. She supported the efforts of my kindergarten teachers, who had me reading before first grade. She brought me to the library every week. I still remember the thrill of finally being old enough to browse the children’s room by myself while she headed to the adult section to choose her own books. We would meet back at the circulation desk, where she would look over my selections. She asked me questions, encouraged me to talk about what I’d read, and even about the books I’d decided not to read.
She encouraged and nurtured a strong reading habit because she herself was an avid reader. She was almost always in the middle of a book, usually a current bestseller. She loved historical fiction, women’s fiction, and the occasional mystery. I remember many evenings, especially when my father was traveling for work, when the two of us would sit together in the den, each reading our own book instead of watching television.
When I was in seventh grade and had exhausted the children’s collection, she signed the permission slip that allowed me to get an adult library card. The very first book I checked out from the adult fiction section was The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.
I only remember one time she objected to something I was reading. I was in eighth grade, and I’d borrowed Go Ask Alice from a friend without telling her. She found it in my room, took it from me, and read it herself. Then she came back and talked with me about it. She had concerns about the language and the subject matter and wondered if I was too young for it, but instead of simply forbidding it, we had a thoughtful conversation and came to an understanding.
Looking back, I’m so grateful that my mother raised me to be a reader. She taught me to love libraries, literature, and the joy of talking about books with other people. Those gifts have shaped not only my career, but so much of who I am.
Who influenced you as a reader?
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Like you, I had a childhood that was centered on the library. I spent a good deal of time at my grandparents home when I was growing up and the library was just a few blocks from their home! My grandpa was an avid and voracious reader… and he loved to talk about books. He always asked such great questions about the books I was reading. (I am pretty sure I did not do the same for him!)
I am so thankful that I grew up in a reading family. I also spent a ton of time at the library as a child, first taking out picture books and then moving into “real” books as I got older. One of the highlights of our family vacations to Cape Cod when I was a kid was a visit to the Brewster Bookstore, where we always loaded up on book that we’d read by the pool. Now that my parents are both officially retired, they’re reading more, so we’re passing a lot of books back and forth.
I also have to give a lot of credit to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for encouraging kids (and adults!) to read with its summer reading program — I participated as a kid/teen and got Molly involved when she was little.
Like others, I grew up loving to go to the library. Both my parents were readers and encourage all of us kids to read. And, naturally, we had a ton of books in our home as well as magazines and newspapers. My grandparents were also avid readers and I loved visiting them and seeing what new books were on the shelves at their house. Plus, the library in their town was only 2 houses away! Later, after retiring, my aunt was one of the main librarians and she had a key which meant we could visit that library any time we wanted!!
I, too, had a book-loving mom who read to my sister and I when we were young, who took us to the library regularly, who simply modeled . . . reading as a regular activity. She was never directive or involved, really, in the books we were reading, but she always supported our . . . just reading what we wanted to read. (She did have one rule, though: we were not allowed to read at the dinner table.) (She looked the other way, however, when I read with a flashlight in bed . . . ) I had several other reading influences, too. Mrs. Hermann (my 3rd grade teacher) who inspired my love of poetry. Miss Heinisch (my 6th grade English teacher) who brought Greek mythology to life. Miss Callie Millstead (my high school World Lit teacher) who introduced me to The Classics (hello, Oedipus!) and Shakespeare and taught me to never be intimidated by “stuffy literature.” I’m also fortunate to have had many book-loving friends who shared recommendations over the years and greatly expanded my notion of what made a book “good” and worth reading.
My mother read to me, signed me up for a children’s book club. She belonged to an adult book club and was always reading something. I spent hours in the library as a child, and I still do occasionally at the huge central library in my city. I developed the habit of reading everything, so I am one of those people who reads cereal boxes while eating breakfast. 🙂 I was very fortunate that my late husband was also an avid reader, and we always discussed the books we were reading. I miss that so much. I firmly believe that my mother gave me a wonderful gift that has enriched my entire life in so many ways.
I also have my mother to thank for guiding me to be a reader. We went to the library every week, I checked out the 10 books I was allowed, and spent the weeks in the summer reading. My mother read all the time, and her interests were all over the place. I remember her reading Kon-Tiki, The Feminine Mystique, and Valley of the Dolls, so I did, too, and then we talked about them. Thanks for reminding me about an important part of my childhood.
Honestly, my parents weren’t big readers, not like my sister and I are. But my mother did read books aloud to us and (as we lived in the country) took us in to the library in town every week. The children’s section of the Wapato library was not big, but it was mighty. I still remember where different authors were located on the shelves there. I, like Becky, was kind of a compulsive reader. I read cereal boxes, and learned to read upside down, sharing my dad’s newspaper at the breakfast table. I think it was Miss Meeks, my beloved second grade teacher, who gave me free rein of the primary school library.
My mother never drove so I’m not sure we went to the library that much. The original location is now a cultural center and I’m thinking it was too far for us to walk to. I did go to Middle school near it but took the bus to that school. I’m sure we used the school library as we lived right down the street from the elementary school till I was 5. I do still have my copies of Where the Wild Things are and 2 Topo Gigio books.
I come from a family of readers-my parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles. We had shelves of books at home and we made regular trips to the library. My grandfathers & dad never read me children’s books, they would read whatever they were reading at the time aloud and I loved it all, especially if it scared me! I also loved when my dad or grandfather would read poetry, I still hear their voices when I read the poems now.
I come from a family of readers-my parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles. We had shelves of books at home and we made regular trips to the library. My grandfathers & dad never read me children’s books, they would read whatever they were reading at the time aloud and I loved it all, especially if it scared me! I also loved when my dad or grandfather would read poetry, I still hear their voices when I read the poems now.
My mom! 🙂
My Mom was also a life long reader and learner. She read to us, mostly from library books. In the old Carnegie Library in my small home town, the children’s section was downstairs and the adult section upstairs and like you would meet at the Circulation Desk. She let us read whatever we wanted and like your Mom would chat with us about books with more adult content. My younger brother hated make believe stories as a child so she read to him from the World Book Encyclopedia. He grew up to be a newspaper editor. As adults, Mom, my sister, and I often talked about what we were reading. My sister and I still carry on that conversation. My Dad read three daily newspapers ( he worked at one) and Time Magazine. He didn’t read to us but modeled reading print journalism.
I also had local grandparents who were readers. Into her old age, Gram read mysteries and laughed because she could reread a mystery and it was new to her. My Grandfather who didn’t graduate from high school read a few classics as well as nonfiction and westerns. When I look back, I am grateful for the modeling and support from my family.