Although I know literacy can be realized in a variety of ways, it was still shocking to learn from an Associated Press poll recently that 27 percent of Americans didn’t read one book last year. And of those who did read, the average number was seven – half read more, half read less. Most of the 37 percent who read fewer than seven books, said they read only one.

Now I really feel like the bookworm I was called when I was in school. Just last week I read five books and a lot of my friends could say the same. Being a book lover, I find it impossible to imagine not reading one single book in a whole year! I guess that’s what comes of growing up in a reading family.

The first thing I can remember reading was something from a magazine called The Saturday Evening Post. I must have been almost 5 years old, because I had just received my first pair of eyeglasses and was “trying them out” in Dr. Berlowitz’s office in Westbrook.

Magazines in those days in doctors’ offices were just about as exciting as today! But there I was with my first glasses and what a wonderful thing it was to be able to read those tiny words! The only thing I can compare with that event is when I had a cataract removed last year. The resulting “Hey, I can see!” felt just the same, 65 years later.

I don’t remember actually learning to read. In our house I guess we learned by osmosis. Both parents liked to read; my mother was nearly fanatical about it and she made sure all six of her children could read when they started school. Regardless of the current method of teaching, she always used the “sound it out” method. The byproduct of this method was the ability to spell! Today’s youth who use the Internet/computer to extremes, may have noticed you get nowhere if the search subject isn’t spelled correctly.

My mom loved books and I remember the thrill of hearing her say we could read anything we wanted as long as we looked up the words we didn’t understand. I was 12 or 13 when she said this and I immediately started reading what I thought was an “adult” book called Forever Amber by Frank Yerby. Even then, this romantic novel was a boring drag and I know my mother got a good laugh about my experience.

In our house, the dictionary was an important tool and well-worn from use. Today there are several dictionaries scattered around my apartment and my son (another reader) has the Webster’s in his room (crossword puzzle fanatic). I have a paperback version of the Oxford American by the computer. For some reason it never occurs to me to use the built-in dictionary in the machine!

When I was a child and was told it was bedtime, there was no arguing. I tried, believe me. I can still remember my whiny little voice asking if I could read for a little while? The answer was always no. Going to bed meant going to sleep. I wonder sometimes if my sisters remember how we used to save the white Necco candy wafers to take under the covers and break in the dark. As they were broken, the wafers glowed. Sometimes we could get a glimpse of a word! Of course, our giggles gave us away. Lectures followed.

Reading can banish boredom and if you’re not careful, it will quickly put housework and chores on the back burner. The only thing that comes close is the love of writing.

See you next week.