passed recently, and that really brought it all back to me, how important his books were to my little self. I didnât learn to read until I was seven, so I missed out on the early stuff, jumped right to chapter books, right to Encyclopedia Brown. What I loved about Boy Detective Leroy Brown was that (1) he was unabashedly smart (smart was not cool when and where I grew up) and (2) his best friend was a girl, tough Sally Kimball, who was both Leroyâs bodyguard and his intellectual equal. Sobol did more to flip gender scripts in my head than almost anybody in my early years.
â Junot DÃaz
My sister and I loved Encyclopedia Brown, the fifth-grade nerd/observer who seldom took more than a day to unravel the nefarious conspiracies of childhood. Every child detective requires a sidekick, obviously, and I thought Encyclopediaâs sidekick, Sally Kimball, was way cooler than any of Nancy Drewâs. In addition to being smart, Sally was the only kid in town who could beat up Bugs Meany. But as a child I treasured the idea of this infinitely just place called Idaville. In Idaville the weak were rarely bullied for long, and the bad guys didnât get away.
â Katherine Boo
I have tattoos from childrenâs books all over my arms and torso. The biggest one is of Ferdinand the bull, which Elliott Smith also had, but his was a different page. What a good message that book has! Just be yourself and donât gore anyone with your horns if you donât feel like it.
â Lena Dunham
The DâAulairesâ Norse Gods and Giants . The Phantom Tollbooth . A Wizard of Earthsea . From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler . Harriet the Spy . John Christopherâs Tripods trilogy. Bradburyâs R Is for Rocket . The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . I loved trickster heroes ⦠and Holmes.
â Michael Chabon
A Wrinkle in Time saved me because it so captured the grief and sense of isolation I felt as a child. I was eight years old when it came out, in third grade, and I believed in itâin the plot, the people, and the emotional truth of their experience. This place was never a good match for me, but the book greatly diminished my sense of isolation as great books have done ever since. I must have read it a dozen times.
â Anne Lamott
We constantly read these terribly violent stories by the Grimm Brothers. I mean, the cleaned-up versions of these are nowhere near the horror stories we used to read. Itâs no wonder my brother was a total scaredy-cat and afraid to walk home alone after you realize he had been exposed to the tales of the Grimm Brothers.
â Arnold Schwarzenegger
I was a very unliterary child, which might reassure parents with kids who donât read. Lego was my thing, as well as practical books like See Inside a Nuclear Power Station . It wasnât till early adolescence that I saw the point of books and then it was the old stalwart, The Catcher in the Rye , that got me going.
â Alain de Botton
----
Colin Powell
What book is on your night stand now?
The Summer of 1787 , by David O. Stewart. As I grow older, I am increasingly fascinated by our founding fathers. The challenges they faced and the compromises they made, good and bad, to create a nation have inspired us and people around the world. I wish todayâs political leaders, especially in Washington, would show the courage and willingness to fight for what they believe in, but possess an understanding of the need to compromise to solve the nationâs problems. They all need to go off and read 1787 .
When and where do you like to read?
On a plane. No phones, e-mails, or meetings to interfere. I used to read in bed, until I started to fall asleep after two minutes of reading anything.
What was the last truly great book you read?
Sorry, canât answer. I find some greatness in almost every book. Itâs like asking which is my greatest kid.
Are you a rereader? What book do
â Junot DÃaz
My sister and I loved Encyclopedia Brown, the fifth-grade nerd/observer who seldom took more than a day to unravel the nefarious conspiracies of childhood. Every child detective requires a sidekick, obviously, and I thought Encyclopediaâs sidekick, Sally Kimball, was way cooler than any of Nancy Drewâs. In addition to being smart, Sally was the only kid in town who could beat up Bugs Meany. But as a child I treasured the idea of this infinitely just place called Idaville. In Idaville the weak were rarely bullied for long, and the bad guys didnât get away.
â Katherine Boo
I have tattoos from childrenâs books all over my arms and torso. The biggest one is of Ferdinand the bull, which Elliott Smith also had, but his was a different page. What a good message that book has! Just be yourself and donât gore anyone with your horns if you donât feel like it.
â Lena Dunham
The DâAulairesâ Norse Gods and Giants . The Phantom Tollbooth . A Wizard of Earthsea . From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler . Harriet the Spy . John Christopherâs Tripods trilogy. Bradburyâs R Is for Rocket . The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . I loved trickster heroes ⦠and Holmes.
â Michael Chabon
A Wrinkle in Time saved me because it so captured the grief and sense of isolation I felt as a child. I was eight years old when it came out, in third grade, and I believed in itâin the plot, the people, and the emotional truth of their experience. This place was never a good match for me, but the book greatly diminished my sense of isolation as great books have done ever since. I must have read it a dozen times.
â Anne Lamott
We constantly read these terribly violent stories by the Grimm Brothers. I mean, the cleaned-up versions of these are nowhere near the horror stories we used to read. Itâs no wonder my brother was a total scaredy-cat and afraid to walk home alone after you realize he had been exposed to the tales of the Grimm Brothers.
â Arnold Schwarzenegger
I was a very unliterary child, which might reassure parents with kids who donât read. Lego was my thing, as well as practical books like See Inside a Nuclear Power Station . It wasnât till early adolescence that I saw the point of books and then it was the old stalwart, The Catcher in the Rye , that got me going.
â Alain de Botton
----
Colin Powell
What book is on your night stand now?
The Summer of 1787 , by David O. Stewart. As I grow older, I am increasingly fascinated by our founding fathers. The challenges they faced and the compromises they made, good and bad, to create a nation have inspired us and people around the world. I wish todayâs political leaders, especially in Washington, would show the courage and willingness to fight for what they believe in, but possess an understanding of the need to compromise to solve the nationâs problems. They all need to go off and read 1787 .
When and where do you like to read?
On a plane. No phones, e-mails, or meetings to interfere. I used to read in bed, until I started to fall asleep after two minutes of reading anything.
What was the last truly great book you read?
Sorry, canât answer. I find some greatness in almost every book. Itâs like asking which is my greatest kid.
Are you a rereader? What book do
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