The Books That Mattered: A Reader}}}s Memoir [Hardcover]

Frye Gaillards first encounters with books were disappointing. As a child he never cared much for fairy tales  stories of cannibalism and mayhem in which giants and witches, tigers and wolves did their best to eat small children. But at the age of nine, he discovered Johnny Tremain, a childrens novel of the Revolutionary War, which began a lifetime love affair with books, recounted here as a readers tribute to the writings that enriched and altered his life. In a series of carefully crafted, often deeply personal essays, Gaillard blends memoir, history and critical analysis to explore the works of Harper Lee, Anne Frank, James Baldwin, Robert Penn Warren, John Steinbeck, and many others. As this heartfelt reminiscence makes clear, the books that chose Frye Gaillard shaped him like an extended family. Reading The Books that Mattered: A Readers Memoir will make you study your own shelves to find clues into your own literary heart. The Books That Mattered is an individualized account of books that affected one accomplished writer. . . .there is something charming about this book. Perhaps its the sensitivity with which Gaillard recounts his gradual coming to terms with his home. Or perhaps its the dogged reassurance that books do matter, that they can instruct us if we endeavor, as we must, to put them into revealing contexts while expanding our own contexts. Or perhaps its simply the joy that comes with getting to know someone, which is what youve done by the time youve finished The Books That Mattered. Southern Literary Review Beautifully written ... highly recommended. Fred Kasten, host and producer of WWNO's The Sound of Books Frye Gaillard doesnt simply read books; he inhabits them. The Books That Mattered is a fascinating, well-written book that keeps on giving. Faye Jones, Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee Frye Gaillard's The Books That Mattered is one to join the ranks of those mentioned within. Combining personal and literary memories, he carvlăœ