The Boys of Summer and Other Hits

It has been a number of years since my husband read Bob Uecker's book about his less than illustrious baseball career and laughed out loud in the process.  Since then, I have tried to tempt him with a number of other non-fiction books but success has been limited.  Yes, despite my best efforts, he does not consider himself a "reader".  When we take a trip with a longer drive, I can normally get the entire family engrossed in a book on CD (as long as there isn't a Brewers or Packers game to listen to).  Following that, there will be a short burst of dedication to reading a book but it is usually cut short by some other distraction like the television (after all, there is probably a game of some sort on SOMEWHERE) or video games.  I have found that there are many people with busy lives who feel they don't have the time to read, and there are many people who don't consider reading to be a relaxing activity.   

Here are a few things that HAVE sparked an interest with my difficult-to-engage reader.  On our way out west, we listened to Bob Greene's Once Upon a Town with tears in our eyes and regret in our hearts when it was over.  Andy Rooney's My War, (sadly, available only on audio cassette) was filled with his trademark wit and social criticism made all the more potent because he was the narrator.  We once listened to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and could not stop singing the Tom Bombadil song for at least three days.  I have also discovered that teen and children's fiction can keep the entire family from squabbling their way through Montana.  Series such as Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, and Brian Jacques' Redwall can help maintain the peace in an enclosed space for hours.  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle had us so engrossed that we almost missed the last rest area for the next 82 miles.

Back to the sport of baseball, which has many inspirational stories based on reality.  Everyone loves an impossible comeback or to cheer for the underdog.  Jim Morris' book, The Oldest Rookie, inspired the movie, The Rookie starring Dennis Quaid.  The book (and movie) Moneyball might give hope to any baseball fan, even a Milwaukee Brewers' fan.  Stories and movies like Eight Men Out or Cobb remind us that baseball is more than a game and the people playing it are fallible human beings.  However, don't we all want to remember the boys of summer through the rosy light of a Field of Dreams?

Next time you want to tempt someone into a book, try making it a shared experience by using an audio book in the car.  Or, instead of Friday night pizza and a movie, bring home the book too.  It may be the inspiration you're looking for to get someone reading again.