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I’ve been reading since I was a kid—even before I knew who Mark Twain was. Why did I say Mark Twain? Today I was reminded of a book my dad encouraged me to read when I was a kid. One of them was “The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain. For the life of me, I have no idea why this book sticks in my memory. I wasn’t interested in reading this book.
Because it was about two young boys? Why would a little girl want to read about two boys? Well, I was a tomboy and I did like comic books. Ah ha, that must have been his reasoning. Either way, my dad was adamant about me reading. (He read all the time, and I have a feeling he wanted to be a writer instead of a construction worker/ truck driver.)
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In fact, he joined a book club, and books were constantly being delivered to our house, for me. Too bad I don’t still have those books. The thing I remember about the books that were delivered, was the different colors, and the bindings all had different colors too.
Purple stands out in my mind when I think of this book. One was white with a purple binding. The books from this club didn’t have a picture on them. I might have read them if they had a picture on the cover, but I believe these books were written for kids older than me, even though I could read most of the words.
Funny, but I don’t remember my youngest brother reading books, or being asked to read, although he read comic books with me. When I think about it, I was about eight years old or younger, so my brother would have been about six and a half. Of course he wouldn’t have read Mark Twain. So why did I have to?
Did my dad see something in me at that young age that told him I needed this? Thanks, Dad, for encouraging me read. He also made, or encouraged, my brother and I to do homework in the summer. The man made me write outside of school! Thanks again, Dad. LOL Do you have a favorite book you read as a child?
I browsed for covers that might trigger something, and when I clicked on this plain cover, it reminded me of the book. What struck me about this book link on iTunes was a comment on the page that says it all. Check it out. It’s the one that says it will stick in your mind forever.
How true!
Thanks for stopping by to read.
Might as well add a Mark Twain quote while I’m at it. I have no proof Mark Twain actually said this, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~ Mark Twain ~
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
7 thoughts on “Memory Lane: Mark Twain and my Dad”
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siobhandaiko
I used to read Enid Blyton’s boarding school stories. Loved them so much I really looked forward to being sent to boarding school myself. Unfortunately, the one I was sent to wasn’t like any of the schools in her stories. 😦
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
😦 Sad face right along with you. That’s too bad about the real boarding school. At least you enjoyed the stories!
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Mary Ann
My dad used to give me hard covered classic books for Christmas presents for many years in a row when I was a kid. I still have the books! I tried to read them when I was younger, but I don’t think I finished very many of the books. Black Beauty is the one I should read now! Dad also gave me Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Treasurer Island, Gulliver’s Travels, etc. My brothers didn’t get books for gifts either. Kind of makes you wonder! Nice post and thanks for the trip down memory lane.
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Hi, Mary Ann. That’s cool about your dad giving you the classics. I don’t remember the name of all the books that were delivered via the book club, so that’s great that you do. My brother was never a reader, other than the newspaper as an adult. Hmm? I’d like to read Black Beauty now, too. 🙂 As a Mom, I love to see that my youngest son reads for pleasure. Not sure if my oldest son does since he lives in a different state now, but I sure made sure they had books as kids. I’m glad you stopped by.
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teagan geneviene
I love this post, Mary. It feels warm and comfortable. And I’ve always been fascinated with Mark Twain.
I don’t have a favorite chilhood book. No one encouraged me to read, read to me or anything when i was growing up, but i did like the Nancy Drew stories a lot. Then when i was about 12, i got a really bad case of the flu. To keep me occupied it was agreed that i could have a book. I’d always begged for one of those with the woman wearing a long billowing dress on the cover — LOL I didn’t care about the story then. Someone said there were a few that might be okay for me to read. Despite the flu, i found bliss! I think i memorized every detail of that romance by Victoria Holt, The Shadow of the Lynx. 🙂 Hugs!
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel
Hi, Teagan, Thank you. Was her book one you had to read under the covers with a flashlight? I had a few of those but I was a teenager by then. I feel lucky that my dad cared that much about me reading. We also put a dollhouse together, so I wasn’t 100% tomboy. 😉 Mark Twain is certainly one to fascinate! 🙂 Ben Franklin, too. (I had to do a report on him once.) Thanks for stopping by.
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