The Most Wonderful Books

Author's Bio:

Michael Dorris was the award-winning author of numerous books, most recently Cloud Chamber (Scribner, 1997). As an anthropologist, Michael Dorris did fieldwork in Alaska, New Zealand, Montana, and South Dakota, winning the 1992 Center for Anthropology and Journalism Award for Excellence. Dorris held a M. Phil. in anthropology from Yale and served as adjunct professor and Montgomery Fellow in Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, a program he founded in 1972. Michael Dorris died unexpectedly in April 1997, shortly after publication of this book.

Emilie Buchwald has been a poet, fiction writer, author of two award-winning novels for children, and a teacher of literature and writing. She edited the journal Milkweed Chronicle for the seven years of its existence and is the cofounder and publisher of Milkweed Editions.

Quotes:

“Whether you are a writer, and ardent reader, or both, these wonderful anecdotes will remind you of when you were very young, and you first discovered the magic of literature.” —St. Paul Pioneer Press

“How did you discover reading? If you haven't considered this question lately, or ever, a recently published anthology of essays, The Most Wonderful Books, is sure to jog memories of your early reading.” —Chicago Tribune

“There are just enough delicacies here to leave the serious reader hungry for more.” —CityBooks

“An eloquent testament to the importance of books.” —Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (International Reading Association)

“This collection of short essays. . . is an eloquent testament to the importance of books.” —Library of Congress Information Bulletin

"As a child, Faith Sullivan found retreat from life's difficulties in libraries. (para) 'I feel like I scraped through childhood due to libraries, and the books they provided were absoluteoly essential as milk or bread' she said. ' It's a tragedy when children grow up without being book readers, because reading gets you through so many childhood scrapes.' (para) Several of Sullivans books such as 'Empress of One' and 'teh Cape Ann,' feature younfg girls struggling with life who find solace in the library, the stage or the sketch pad. (para) 'Any kind of problem I had I trurned to books, for lots of reasons that were not clear to me at the time. Perspective -- although I didn't know that at the time. At any age we can see our own troubles and turn to wonderful literature from history for sympathy.' (para) ... She also plans to read from a book published by Milkweed Editions titled 'The Most Wondertful books - Writyers on the Pleasures of Reading,”in which Sullivan, and 56 other authors, discuss how their love of reading developed. (para) '[Reading books] was like having some wonderful aunt you could turn to,' she said.” —The Chanhassen Villager , Melissa Gilman