At Five I Learned to Read ...
Sean Connery's Words of Wisdom
I love this acceptance speech by Sean Connery. I hope you do too.
Reading opened new worlds to me as well. I was especially drawn to mythology, to Aesop’s Fables, to fairy tales and the like. With the Scholastic Book Club program, where you could order books in school, I recall discovering Jack London’s “White Fang,” perhaps my favorite book as a youngster. Only later did I discover “The Sea Wolf,” also by London, as well as “Martin Eden.” He was a wonderful writer. Profoundly human.
As a teenager in the 1970s, I was a big science fiction fan (Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation Trilogy” was a favorite, as was Roger Zelazny’s “Amber” series). I also read my share of Stephen King. (“It” may be his masterpiece.) Of course, I had to read “better” books for school, classics like “The Scarlet Letter” and “A Tale of Two Cities,” and I often enjoyed them as well.
I still read my share of books. I so much like going to new places in my mind and imagination with the help of a good book.
As Sean Connery says, learning to read is magical. I think I learned to read about the same age as he did—five years old. Surely it’s the most important habit and skill I’ve acquired in my life.
Long live the readers!



Bravo, Bill! Couldn't agree more. Reading makes all the difference in the world. IMO, those who don't read don't think to any profound degree.
I'd forgotten about the Scholastic Book Club! I also ordered many titles from them. I see that it still exists in some form, which is reassuring....
Bring children to the library instead of the shopping mall. So important!