Cold Case In Ellyson

To write, you have to read. No writer has ever lived in a vacuum of wordlessness. And most writers are prolific readers. One of my favorite hangouts in my childhood home was a tiny library nestled just down the hall from my bedroom. It must have been five feet by ten, just enough room for a chair, and held floor to ceiling bookshelves. If I wasn’t reading, I was alphabetizing the books by the author’s last name. It held children’s books, but it also held the classics. In today’s society, our children our encouraged to read in school; in fact, it’s demanded. But little emphasis is placed on the books of old as though they’re no longer relevant. As parents, we have the chance to introduce our kids to the books that moved us and our parents before us. Just yesterday, I gave my 12-year-old Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage. He loves history and war, and I’m going to capitalize on that interest. I hope this summer, parents will direct their kids to the garage sale 50 cent books that have value greater than we can imagine.