“From that time on, the world was hers for the reading. She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence, and when she wanted to feel a closeness to someone she could read a biography. On that day when she first knew she could read, she made a vow to read one book a day as long as she lived.”
- from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
I love that book! I first read it for a high school English class, but it has stayed with me all these years. When I re-read it recently, it was even more wonderful than I remembered (I think because I had changed in the interim).
ReplyDeleteI'm going to print out the above quote and hang it by my reading chair. Thanks for the memory!
This book holds wonderful memories for me too - thanks for sharing yours!
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