April 14, 2000

Reading for Sheer Pleasure -- Remember That?

By JAMES W. EARL

When I was 10, I took a book from a bookcase in the living room and brought it outside to read. My mother said, "That one's not for you," but she didn't stop me. It was one of those turning points in my life -- one you don't realize is a turning point until long afterward. The book had a catchy title: Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. It was a book of advice for parents, telling them that sometimes kids just want to lie on the grass watching the clouds