LEEDS — In a world where our children are more likely to know Mario and Luigi than Tom and Huck, it is music to a parent’s ears to learn that some are asking people to take a look inside the pages of Mark Twain’s all-American novel.

The Leeds Jane Culbreth Library and Moody Doris Stanley Library are each promoting the 2010 Alabama Big Read. This is not just a local initiative, but rather a nationwide program geared to promote reading.

This year’s book is one that every American should read ... multiple times. If you have memorized the English alphabet and learned the short and long vowel sounds, you should have turned through the pages of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

Any red-blooded American child should have – at least on one occasion – tried Tom’s trick that gave him the day off while his friends did his chores. That alone is worth the cover charge.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. Talk about taking on a big challenge! After work, raising children, and everything else we bind ourselves to, it is difficult to imagine very many dedicating their few precious moments of leisure time sitting down with a book. No, most would rather sit in front of the tube or computer letting other people do their thinking for them. I’m no different. When I go home after a long day the first thing I grab is the remote. I’m a seasoned veteran in the art of channel surfing.

It wasn’t always like that. I used to read much more. I’ll still have a book on my nightstand, but typically multiple nights will pass by when the bookmark will remain between the same pages. It is a shame, especially considering a have a child of my own and I want him to enjoy reading. I know that if he sees his parents reading regularly, he will acknowledge it as: A.) Something we should do regardless of age; and 2.)  Something that is so much fun that even grown-ups like it.

While there may be some educational value on the internet and, to a much lesser extent, television, they are featherweights compared to the knowledge provided by a good book.

In a survey by the National Endowment for the Arts, it was found that fewer than half of all American adults read literature. Even worse news is that the study showed drops in reading by all age groups with the steepest decline occurring in the youngest of age groups.

The survey also pinpointed the negative influence of television. Adults who do not watch television in a typical day are 48 percent more likely to be frequent readers. Those who do not read literature average 3.1 hours of television each day.

The lack of reading in our country has become pandemic. As adults, we should be setting the example for our children that reading is the path to knowledge and a deeper understanding of our world.

I know I’m looking forward to tagging along with Tom Sawyer on his Mississippi River adventures. There is no author quite like Mark Twain; he is an American original in every since of the word.

Perhaps there are others like me who will be inspired to dedicate a little time each day to a good book. I’m sure the folks at our local libraries could help you check out a copy. Then, when you finish that book, you can take it back and replace it with another.

Opening a book is like opening your eyes to a whole different world. I don’t know about you, but there are some days when I could use a nice vacation!



– Robert Blankenship is the editor of The Leeds News. He may be contacted at editor@leedsnews.net