The Big Read

The Adventure of Tom Sawyer.
By Mark Twain

I have not read this book. I have read Mark Twain,
but not Huckleberry Fin or Tom Sawyer, I read
the best book, by his own admission, that Twain
ever wrote; "Joan of Arc". I had never even known
about the book until I read a review on the feast day
in May, of Saint Joan. Later the same day. I was in
a book store looking for a book of Rilke's poetry and
my eyes fell right upon Mark Twain's "Joan of Arc".

I never, ever, let coincidences like that past me these
days. I put down the Rilke and picked up Joan of Arc.
I have enjoyed the book and that was the first of Twain's
that I have read. But, now the big read, a exercises by
our library, along with the Mobile Public, to get books
into the hands of children, has asked me to read along
with our youth, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and I
am happy to do it. After Joan, I was bound and determined
to revisit Twain's other, more famous works.

I am proud to do anything that promotes reading. I know,
however the act of handing out the books is the easy part.
Seeing them read, is the part that I am not sure we can force
upon anyone. We will see and I will report my impressions of
Tom Sawyer and the big read and it's success or failure right
here in these post. I was asked to pick up the ten, brand new
copies of the book from the office on Government street in
Mobile, AL of the Mobile Public Library. I did so and put them
in the office of the Mount Vernon Public Library and that is
where they stayed until I mentioned to Adrienne, that didn't
she think we ought to hand the books out to children to read.
The books would never be read if we did not get them into the
hands of the local children and convince them to read them.

Adrienne called the Principle of our local elementary school and
we are going to go by there in two days to pass out our ten copies.
Adrienne and I are both also going to read the book and together
with the children, hopefully, have our own adventure. Now to begin...

WPCannon
1917
01 March 2010
MVPD