Whose stories would you prefer your children to read?

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

CPT Jack Durish - My mother taught me to read at a very early age,Cpt.,and she bought a "library" of the "Classics" from an order company.With no TV and nothing else of the evenings i read most of them before i was in the third grade.Really made book reports easy as i advanced through grammar school.

SSgt Terry P. - Your mother gave you a great gift. My wife would always keep tabs on our children's interests and ply them with books relating to whatever turned them on. As a result, they were avid readers and they have passed that gift on to their children. I don't know if you've read my tale about my first published book, but it is a sad one. I was contracted to write a novella for college students with a third grade reading level. It was one of a series of books written for this audience. Years later, while talking to a college professor, he informed me that he had graduate students who were similarly handicapped. Can you imagine?

CPT Jack Durish - Actually,i can,sir. I deal with people everyday who have never read or do not have the ability to read anything more than a text with most of the words misspelled or misused .Some of these people,i grew up with and they are happy with their ignorance and make fun of anyone who uses a word with more than two syllables.I used the word tempura the other day and had to deal with acquaintances making remarks about it. Another recent "blunder" for me was to use cacophony instead of saying "a lot of noisy birds". But at times i just can't resist. LOL

CPT Jack Durish - Yes,sir,i went to your blog and checked it out after reading the post about the college students.It sounds like my mother wasn't the only one who gave her children a great gift.Kudos to your wife and children.