Ooh, my Goood!

Today two boxes of books arrived from home. I continue to feel so grateful to have a network of support that stretches all the way back to California. I can always count on books, a little extra money and lots of advice whenever I need it. When I called my mom to ask about some mythology books I used to love I knew I could expect a literacy care package coming my way. And as excited as I was to pick up the books from the main office, I couldn't wait to see the kids reactions.

I picked four boys to help me carry the books upstairs, label them and sort them. One of them is an underachieving know-it-all (henceforth UKIA) who I happen to know digs mythology big time (hence my request to my mom). The kids were excited to see all of the books as we unpacked them. There was an awesome mix - Ramona the Pest, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Fly Away Home, Where's Waldo, several Eyewitness Encyclopedias - and they were all in pristine condition.

The kids couldn't believe I had read these books when I was their age and they were still in such good condition (teachable moment!). The most priceless reaction of all was from UKIA when we saw the mythology books. He was on the verge of hyperventilating: "Oh! My! God!" And the whole time I kept thinking of this SNL skit where Josh Brolin announces he's going to pop the question to his girlfriend. It's moments like that which shatter the quiet, subtle racism that says these kids come from families that don't value reading or education or some other nonsense variation of that theme. These kids love to read and learn, it's sometimes only a matter of giving them a chance to realize it.

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