When Once is Enough: One-book Authors

If you’re like me, you’re hesitant to read Harper Lee’s second book, Go Set a Watchman. From what I’ve read about this much hyped book, the reader will leave with a tarnished view of the beloved character, Atticus Finch.

The discovery of this book so many years after To Kill a Mocking bird raised my curiosity about other one book authors, especially those whose one tome has become an iconic classic. I read a lot, but there's a limited number of books that continue to resonate with me, even after many years. I was surprised to find how many of my lifelong remembered reads were by one--book authors. These books influenced my life and affected my thinking immeasurably. 

Here’s my top five: 

                          

1.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Born in 1820 to a devoutly Quaker family, Sewell 

was influenced by her mother who wrote children’s 

books. Following a childhood accident, she traveled mostly by horse drawn carriages and developed a deep love and concern for horses. Unlike her mother, she didn’t write for children but rather to influence those who cared for horses. I read the book when I was twelve and never viewed animals without thinking about how they should be treated.

2.  Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This classic needs no introduction! Is there anyone reading this post who hasn’t read this book or seen the movie? The classic lines throughout this masterpiece are still quoted today. The author was recognized in 1957 when she received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Like Harper Lee, she avoided the limelight, but unlike Lee, she died at the young age of 49. I read this book in my teens and it made me realize how much war affects so many individuals, no matter what their beliefs.

3.  An Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

This was another book that really affected my thinking in my teen years. In his book, published in 1952, he spoke to race in a way never done before. Consider these words by Ellison: “I am an invisible man…I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.”

4.  Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Although this was his only book, Salinger wrote nearly two dozen short stories in many publications, including The New Yorker. Holden Caulfield, the main character, illustrates the importance of living an authentic life. I read this as a young adult and it helped reaffirm my own beliefs in following my own direction rather than to “go along to get along.”

5.  Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

 While this author is best remembered for his poetry, his novel, published in 1957, demonstrates the courage it can take to express your views even in fiction. Pasternak had to smuggle his manuscript out of Russia to be published abroad. In my early twenties, his story and what it took to publish it, served as inspiration to me in my early writings.

I’m still unsure whether I will read Harper Lee’s recently published work, Go Set a Watchman, because the characters within what seemed destined to be her one memorable work, speak so much to me. Perhaps, I will consider her the sixth of my one-book authors instead…

To learn more about one-book authors of these and other much loved books, visit Goodreads for a list of 100 well known titles.

       

The Second Time Around

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet
an old one. ~Chinese Saying

I'm still a loyal Survivor fan despite the fact the TV format remains much the same with every year’s watching. For me, it’s a little like rereading a book—I learn something new with each read. That analogy between Survivor and books got me thinking. If I had to live on a deserted island for a year, what book would sustain me for that time?

I thought first of the Bible, but suppose that was already part of the survival kit, what else would I take? Multiple titles kept popping into my head.

For this, I definitely needed the input of some fellow avid readers. Here are some of their selections:

Linda, our Island librarian, answered with the quick certitude you would expect from someone lucky enough to spend her working life surrounded by books. The book she would take: Timeline by Michael Crichton. Linda says, “His story illustrates how quantum theory could make time travel possible and sweeps you into the mystery and adventure of the story, while Crichton makes 14^th century daily life come alive.”

Ginger, my firstborn, wasn’t quite as able to narrow her choices down, so she finally claimed two: Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver which she say has so many levels to it that I’m sure I’ve missed some.” Her second pick: a compilation of Maya Angelou’ s writings. “Her melodic voice as I read helps me stay calm and at the same time keeps my brain working. That I would definitely need if I were in a deserted place!”

Mary, a book devotee and regular at our St. Francis Book Group, didn't hesitate. Her quick answer: And the Ladies of the Club, by Helen Santmyer. The story tells the story of two 18 year-olds who belong to a book club and their friendship through happy and difficult times that span 60 yearsthrough their lifetimes. It’s one of those books, Mary adds, that you hate to see end. She also says the author took 35 years to write the book and was in her 80’s when she completed the task!

Alicemarie, leader of my Florida book group, says, “One book??? I may not make it through the year!” But forced to choose, she picked Kitchen Table Wisdom, by Rachel Naomi Rement, M.D., personal stories the author collected while working with people with life-threatening illness. “These stories—some humorous, others gut-wrenching—all provide food for deeper and more expansive thinking about my own life.”—something she would have lots of time to do while on her solitary sojourn.

Gary, a psychologist and one-time restaurateur, thought first and foremost about what it would be like to live on an undisturbed island. Armed with an insatiable curiosity and Exotica, by Alfred B. Graf, he would use his time wisely by learning more about his tropical habitat. “Exotica is the botanist’s bible and will help me identify all the flora on the island.”

Kim, a member of my writing group, also thought bringing a book possibly found on Amazon with a title like, “How to Survive on a Deserted Island,” would be the most sensible. Then again, she decided, it would make for dull bedtime reading. “My poetry books are what I read over and over again.” Any would do, she adds, but the ones she most often opens are The Oxford Book of Short Poems edited by James Michie and P. J. Kavanaugh or Best Remembered Poems, edited by Martin Gardner.

One of the perks in writing this posting was the chance to learn about a few books I haven’t yet read. Still, I’m not any closer to choosing the single book that would be a part of my survival kit.

Send me your suggestions as I need more help! I’ll do a follow up on the topic and promise by then, to stop wavering and come to a conclusion of my own…

Flowers of Winter

God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.  ~J.M. Barrie, Courage, 1922

 

Every December, as Christmas approaches and the end of the year draws near, for me, is a time of reflection, a looking back. Generally, this contemplative time begins after the shopping and mailing of packages is completed. But this year, my annual life review threatened to sabotage the necessary tasks that come with the holiday.  Daydreaming replaced concentrated, organized gift selection!

I blame the change on my neighbor, Harry, a consummate gardener whose talents we enjoy all summer from our front deck. The day before Thanksgiving, he brought over brought over an armful of roses from his still flowering garden. We were enjoying a wonderfully warm fall, even eating lunch in the sunny protected corner of our porch. "Hard to believe they're still growing," he said.

"Yes," I answered. "Hard to believe, but wonderful, too." I clipped the stems and placed the bouquet in a green vase on my dining room table. In the next few weeks, I passed by the roses a lot. Each time I did, I thought how comforting it was to see them bloom this time of year.

As the temperature dipped and we moved further into December, Harry's bouquet brought to mind Barrie's wonderful quote and my thoughts turned to how increasingly important the role memory takes as we get older. Not that I'm done making memories—not by a long shot, I hope! After all, I'm only seventy now. I still cling to the autumn years of my life, with their wonderful lingering warmth from my summer season.

I like to think the winter of my life is still far from away, but based on how rapidly my life has gone thus far, I know the approaching winter of my life is much closer than I want to believe. Sometimes, I wonder about what it will be like once my winter fully arrives.

We visit a senior center once a month to do a program entitled, "Remember When." These seniors (older than I am, of course!) are firmly entrenched definitely in the winter of their lives. They prefer sharing their memories, memories evoked by old the movies, events, and songs of their summer years, mostly the forties and fifties, rather than their later years. I learn from them that the days ahead can also be filled with joy and laughter, but most of all, bolstered by the memories that keep us warm.

Here's a few nonscientific things I've come to believe about how memory works as we get older:

• Memory is fluid and dynamic, ever changing. Each memory takes on a different hue, tone, and meaning when we view it from a distance created by time.
• Memory is a way of holding onto the things we love. It tells us who we are in our innermost self, and is tied to things we never want to lose. As a result, it only a natural evolution that we find it holds so much a larger part in our lives as we age.
• Memory is the book we write in the silence of our hearts. And like writers, we can discover the freedom to alter our history and tell it a little more like we wanted it to be. Have you ever noticed how the fish in any fisherman's tale gets larger with each telling?
• Memories, like the proverbial fine wine, improve with age. And as we get older, we gradually may become the only one who is the memory keeper of our family. An awesome, but joyful thing to contemplate!
• Memory is selective. As Austin O'Malley notes, "Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food. Nora Ephron speaks of this in her new book, "I Remember Nothing." Have you ever searched your mind for details of some neamingul event in your life and come up blank, yet you can remember an incident that would appear to have no significance whatsoever in the broad schematic of life?
• Memory, like the sea glass we find on the beach, holds fragments that we treasure without reason. Or as Cesare Pavese (The Burning Brand) says so well, "We do not remember days; we remember moments."
• Memory of our childhood remains imprinted in our memory bank for all of our lives. Sometimes, I ask myself why I remember all the details of my elementary school yet scarcely remember the hallways of the college I attended when I was forty years old?
• Memory of bad moments come mostly in the middle of the night. Have you had any of those moments when what you failed to do or did haunt you?

Bob Hope always finished his performances with a song called, "Thanks for the memories." Yet, memories are the flowers of our winter and it would be a very cold time without them. And like the roses of winter, they keep us warm. They're what we're made of and what we're left with.

Saturday Morning Reflections

There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.  ~Andrew Carnegie

 During my busy working years, we only had the Sunday paper delivered. Saturday was the catch up day – laundry, cleaning the house, and shopping. Now, I savor Saturday mornings. We've added Saturday delivery and Will delivers the paper to me in bed, along with a cup of coffee and a kiss. He heads downstairs to read the sports section. Both of us enjoy our routine and solitude in starting the weekend.

I read slowly and usually, it's a peaceful time. No super news – a bit of a rehash of what's been on the TV news all week, plus more local news and views. Even the reports on the declining economy and the war seem a little more distant when viewed only in print, still upsetting but somehow, less so with a only through the eyes look, without the sound effects of the screen.

This Saturday, however, on the New Jersey page in the Atlantic City Press, this headline blared without any need for TV backup.

Camden library, running out of funds, prepares to close.

             Carnegie Library, Camden, circa 1914

Being a frequent library patron, I began to read, initially thinking this must be a closing of one branch, still tragic, but perhaps it's a branch seldom used. Sadly, that isn't the case. Instead, Camden, one of our nation's poorest cities, is going to close all its libraries by the end of the year because funding has been slashed so deeply it cannot afford to keep operating.

This requires more attention than my usual Saturday morning inertia. So, I go to the computer to learn more. What I found made the headline and article hit even harder.

• I learned that less than one third of Camden residents have high-speed Internet. Adults use the libraries to go online and look for jobs.
• Children depend on the library to access schoolwork research, attend book reading, and learn to play chess, a unique part of that sytstem's offerings.
• The homeless seek its respite during extreme weather and it can provide a refuge for those who don't have air conditioning during extreme heat conditions
• By closing all branches, the more than 150,000 annual visits to a library will no longer be possible. 

Ironically, Andrew Carnegie, a great proponent of the value of libraries (see quote above), donated $100,000 for the first library to be built in Camden. Now the New Jersey Library Association suggests that amount might be enough to save the library a century later. But where will that money come from? Who will step forward to help?
To read more about other libraries in trouble, go to the NJLA or to the New Jersey Save My Library website

A few quotes on the value of libraries:

What is more important in a library than anything else - than everything else - is the fact that it exists.  ~Archibald MacLeish, "The Premise of Meaning," American Scholar, 5 June 1972

Libraries:  The medicine chest of the soul.  ~Library at Thebes, inscription over the door

Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library.  The only entrance requirement is interest.  ~Lady Bird Johnson

We may sit in our library and yet be in all quarters of the earth.  ~John Lubbock

A great library contains the diary of the human race.  ~George Mercer Dawson

I love the place; the magnificent books; I require books as I require air.  ~Sholem Asch

The richest person in the world - in fact all the riches in the world - couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library.  ~Malcolm Forbes

...the world is before me - a library open to all - from which poverty of purse cannot exclude me - in which the meanest and most paltry volume is sure to furnish something to amuse, if not to instruct and improve.  ~Joseph Howe, 1824

A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas - a place where history comes to life.  ~Norman Cousins

Nutrimentum spiritus (food for the soul).  ~Berlin Royal Library, inscription

And a final thought...

I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.  ~Carl Sagan, Cosmos