Some years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing George Saunders over brunch at an Austin hotel. On our way out, I asked him to rattle off some books that influenced him
as a child.
His response made me appreciate him even more than I already did.
As some of you probably know (because I seem to write about it annually), Esther Forbes’ Johnny Tremain is my favorite book from childhood, and I try to reread it once a year around July 4th.
Somewhere in the hazy ’80s, Johnny Tremain made me fall in love with Boston, specifically his North End stomping grounds.
I moved to Boston ten years ago in large part because of this book I read and reread and reread as an adolescent. (I ended up living just one block from the Old North Church, where Paul Revere — and, of course, Johnny — saw the hanging lanterns.)
In fact, it’s more than fair to say that WriteByNight — and this email message — would never have existed if not for Esther Forbes and her little Newbery winner.
I hope you too have a book from childhood that played such a prominent role in your adult life. If you do, maybe this long holiday weekend is a great time to revisit it.
You can read it by the light of the fireworks.
But what the hell does any of this have to do with George
Saunders?
After I asked him about childhood books, he talked for quite a while about Johnny Tremain, particularly the opening line: “On rocky islands gulls woke.”
(In fact, he wrote an entire essay about that opening line, called “Thank you, Esther Forbes,” which appeared in his essay collection, The Brain-Dead Megaphone.)
Said Saunders: “I didn’t know you could do that!”
He was so excited.
“Do what?” I asked.
“No comma!” he said. “She doesn’t use a comma after ‘islands.’ I didn’t know you could break rules like that! That’s a lesson I never forgot.”
If it’s good enough for George Saunders, it’s good enough for me.
This weekend, friends, go reread your favorite childhood
book and break some rules.
Except for maybe the safety instructions on those M-80s.
