From: Burgess, Francesca <F.Burgess>
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 12:20:34 -0400

Hi,

I have been a lurker for the past two years, but couldn't resist contributing to this topic:

When I was a child, I really loved The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford. It was adapted into a film years later, and I hated the film, by the way.

I also remember reading all of the Little House on the Prairie books, and all of the Nancy Drew books I could get my hands on. I really liked Little Women, and particularly identified with Jo.

When I was about 11 or 12 I read The Hobbit for the first time. Between the ages of 13-21, I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy 13 times. In my mind, I spent a lot of time in Middle Earth.

I was profoundly influenced by the following books, which I read when I was about 12 or 13, and I would say that they had a powerful impact on my socio-political views:

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (After reading this book, I first became interested in becoming a vegetarian. I am still a vegetarian. 1984, by George Orwell Lord of the Flies, by William Golding The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (I found this on my aunt's bed when I was 12, read it in one sitting, and was amazed. It had a profound impact on my perceptions of life and spirituality.)

I also really liked Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, and Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.

I had read these books by the time I was 13.

Regards,

Francesca Burgess Children's Cluster Specialist Brooklyn Public Library
Received on Wed 24 May 2006 11:20:34 AM CDT