Turning the Page

I'm a reader, and I found books to be reliable companions as a young man. They never needed commercial breaks, could be enjoyed regardless of the weather, and never had to leave like my friends did.

My tastes have changed over time, but when I was young, I absolutely LOVED reading mysteries. My favorite series back then was The Hardy Boys. These books featured two brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, who would go on adventures and solve mysteries along the way.

Looking back, I learned a lot from reading those books. I learned vocabulary that I never encountered anywhere else, like Mr. Hardy's bureau, their friend Chet's jalopy, and their hobby of spelunking. I learned how to pay attention to seemingly insignificant details like when a villain put a buffalo nickel on the table, which became the key to finding him later in Buffalo, New York. Reading mysteries worked on my comprehension, reasoning, and reflection, because it was always very rewarding to solve the mystery for myself a few paragraphs or pages before Frank and Joe got to the bottom of it.

Because I was a reader, I could access a wealth of knowledge that remained beyond non-readers' reach. Readers can teach themselves anything. Because I could read, I could learn whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

However, this is not the case for many young people today, and particularly boys. Sadly, many young men do not enjoy reading, and it is a skill that requires consistent practice to improve. Many of them are at various levels of illiteracy. Some cannot even understand what the shapes on the page mean, while many do not understand what they are reading at the most basic level.

However, the situation is not hopeless. If knowledge is power (Sir Francis Bacon), and the pen is mightier than the sword (Edward Bulwer-Lytton), then seeds of literacy planted in a young man's life today lead to a lifelong harvest of liberty and leadership.

You can help plant these seeds by donating books that would interest young men aged 10-14. Please reply to this email if you have books to donate. Also, because I'm curious, you can also reply to let me know what type sof books you liked when you were younger. Thanks for helping make tomorrow's leaders.