Thursday, January 2, 2020

As the Ball Dropped, Our Life Fell Apart

Tammy Rabideaum, "As the Ball Dropped, Our Life Fell Apart," (Modern Love) New York Times, December 29, 2019, p.ST5.

     During Kristils' freshman year of high school, she announced that she wanted to attend a high-level college and began searching what was needed to be accepted. One summer day we drove to the library to pick up books she had on order. Awaiting us were three bins and some 60 books, many of them "how-to" manuals on getting straight A's, mastering standardized tests and winning admission to Ivy League schools.
     At home, Kristil lined them up in stacks along her bedroom wall, then mapped out her reading and study plan for the summer. 

COMMENT

     Despite a period of homelessness, Kristil eventually ends up at Barnard College with a full scholarship.  Some librarians are skeptical when a student like Kristil checks out more books than a person could reasonably read.  This story illustrate that someone who checks out a lot of books might actually be using them.  The librarians would surely be pleased to know how their library books helped get their borrower into the college of her dreams.

No comments: