Published: September 15, 2009 11:18 pm      

John Cannon: Required reading for life: 9/16/09

At least one of my three children managed to make it all the way through elementary, middle and high school without having read either “Tom Sawyer” or “Huckleberry Finn.” I was shocked — and disappointed.

There are certain works of literature that I think every American should be required to read before they can be considered educated. Mark Twain remains America’s greatest fiction writer, and “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” are his best-known books.

I think I was in the fifth grade when I read “Tom Sawyer.” It was required reading, but before reaching the end of the first chapter, reading it was no longer a chore — it was a delight. I loved it. It helped me fall in love with novels. While I have always been an avid reader, most of the fiction I read in the early grades was about sports, particularly baseball.

But “Tom Sawyer” was a whole lot better than “The Kid Who Batted 1.000” and “Foul Ball King.” It introduced me to other novels that had nothing to do with sports. Soon I was reading classics like “Cheaper By the Dozen” (nonfiction, actually) and “Momma’s Bank Account” — and loving them.

I think I was a sophomore in high school when I was forced to read “Huckleberry Finn.” I liked it even better than “Tom Sawyer” because it had a better plot. Unfortunately, because of its use of the n-word, some have dismissed “Huckleberry Finn” as racist, but in my view, it is not the least bit racist. I doubt if any other book of its time did more to tear down racial barriers.

I mention all this because Mark Twain is enjoying a revival in America. Every schoolchild in America is being encouraged to read either “Tom Sawyer” or “Huckleberry Finn.” I’m betting most of them will be pleasantly surprised they can identify with the characters in novels written well over a century ago.

I have attended two sessions at the Boyd County Public Library in which members of the community — my wife being one of them — have read chapters aloud from “Tom Sawyer.” I’ll admit that I wouldn’t want to sit and listen to readers read the entire book, but the two sessions helped remind me of just why I loved the book as a young boy. While I remembered the major plot line, I had completely forgotten what worthless items Tom had received for allowing his friends to whitewash the fence.

There are other books I think should be required reading to be considered truly educated. John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” is one. Although “Of Mice and Men” probably is the most frequent Steinbeck book assigned to students — who love it because it is so short — “Grapes of Wrath” has more depth. However, my favorite Steinbeck book is “Travels with Charlie,” a work of nonfiction about the cross country trip Steinbeck took with his dog.

I personally would list “The Great Gatsby” on my list of required reading, but my wife says that’s because it happens to be my favorite novel by an American writer. Maybe so, but I still consider it the great American novel. It amazes me that F. Scott Fitzgerald so successfully captured the shallowness of Gatsby’s life in a work of fiction, but in real life, Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, lived that phony life.

About 20 years ago, Time magazine asked a group of scholars to list five books they thought were required reading to be considered educated. Only one book made the lists of all the scholars except one: the Bible.

Even if you believe the Bible is nothing but a book of fairy tales, everyone should read it for the simple reason that no other book has had a greater impact on Western civilization. It has caused wars and changed lives for better and for worse.

As a Christian, I try to read from it every day. It is the book that changed my life. More importantly it is the book that has changed the world. That can’t be denied. That’s why it should be required reading.

JOHN CANNON can be reached at jcannon@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2649.