When I was teaching English and trying to get kids passionate about reading, the most effective weapon I had was 'The Martian Chronicles.'
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Millions of students now, in all the schools of America, are reading science fiction and especially, thank God, 'The Martian Chronicles.'
When I was fifteen, my father gave me a first edition copy of Ray Bradbury's magnificent work, 'The Martian Chronicles.' I had read other science fiction by noted authors, but this book was something else altogether.
Comic books and The Chronicles of Narnia. My mother used to read those to me and my twin brother growing up.
I read 'Jaws' and 'The Godfather' back to back one summer when I was 14 and was suddenly aware of how powerful fiction could be.
My dad's passion was to teach adults to read so they could read to their kids.
For a child, reading a book can be such an intense experience.
I liked teaching Henry James. When you look down at a Henry James novel from a helicopter height, you find an intricate spider web that all clings together.
The stories that engaged me as a kid were all science fiction. Later, it turned out that I didn't have the language to talk about what was bothering me in a way that was straightforward.
I was passionate about reading from an early age, and I would always be carrying a different book each week.
I've always been interested in violence, even as a teenager. I loved 'Helter Skelter' and books like that.