Thomas Edison Read Every Book in Detroit Library

"[My] mother was the making of me...[because] she was always so true and so sure of me and always made me feel that I had someone to live for and must not disappoint." (Thomas Edison)

Thomas Edison, the son of a Mackenzie rebellion participant and a former schoolteacher, was born in Milan, Ohio.  After young Thomas' teacher said he refused to focus at school, he was home schooled by his mother.  She exposed him to the classics, Shakespeare and Dickens.  Edison's mother gave him an elementary science book.  At age 9, Edison performed every experiment in the book. (http://www.patentdrafting.com/edison.htm)

Later, his family moved to Michigan.  In his early teens, Edison was hired as a newsboy on the Grand Trunk Railway and rode the trains from Port Huron to Detroit and back.  With hours to kill between trains, Edison visited the Detroit Free Library, one of their first patrons.  He worked his way through every title in the library.

Eventually, he turned his focus to the library's science books.  He set up a mini laboratory on the train where he performed experiments, marking his bottles with the word Poison so no one would touch them.  One day, a stick of phosphorous rolled on the floor and ignited.  The conductor booted him off the train, but not before he had learned something. (http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html)

Edison's curiosity, which led to hundreds of inventions and patents, was peaked by his mother, and his exposure to books.

Edison's childhood home in Milan, Ohio courtesy http://milanarea.com/ma-EdisonHome-72912-hdr8735-7-1440.jpg.

Thomas Jefferson: "I Cannot Live Without Books"

"I cannot live without books." (Thomas Jefferson to John Adams)

Before Monticello, the domed house that Thomas Jefferson designed and built in Virginia, there was Shadwell, the birthplace of the third president of the United States.  Shadwell burned in 1779, taking with it Jefferson's beloved collection of books.  

Jefferson spent the rest of his life trying to replenish his personal library.  By 1773, he owned 1250 books, and by 1815, over 6500 titles.  That year, the British Army burned both the White House and the Capitol, destroying the 3000 volumes inside.  The retired president, despite the fact that he loved his books, sold the collection to the Library of Congress for $23, 950.  The books were transported from Monticello to Washington D.C. in ten wagons.  

On May 8, 1815, after the packing and shipping of his collection of books, Jefferson penned a letter to Samuel Smith, stating:  "an interesting treasure is added to your city now become the depository of unquestionably the choicest collection of books in the U.S. and I hope it will not be without some general effect on the literature of our country." (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jefflib.html)

Once again, Jefferson rebuilt his library.  Although he had debts to pay, he continued to collect a plethora of books on every subject.  Upon his death, his books were sold to pay off outstanding debts. Today, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world.

atdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/becites/main/jefferson/88607928.html

Theodore Roosevelt Devoured Books Like a Hungry Lion

"Theodore Roosevelt devoured books like a hungry lion feasting on a fresh kill." (Brett McKay)

While Theodore Roosevelt was known as a hunter, as a rough rider, as a statesman and as the man for whom the Teddy Bear is named, he is not known for his intellect.  Yet the 26th President, with an IQ of 149, was one of the most well read presidents.  It is estimated he read tens of thousands of books in his lifetime.

As a child, Theodore suffered from vicious asthma attacks.  While he recuperated in bed, he would read voraciously.  "He devoured books like a hungry lion feasting on a fresh kill."  At an early age, he developped a lifelong passion for knowledge.  (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/10/18/how-to-speed-read-like-theodore-roosevelt/)  

Once in the White House, Theodore Roosevelt liked to read a book every morning before breakfast.  He went about his presidential duties during the day.  In the evening, he would read two or three more books.  Not only did he read the books, but he could recall minutes details about what he read. Three factors worked to Theodore's advantage:  firstly, he had a photographic memory; secondly, he knew how to speed read; thirdly, he had keen concentration powers.  As one biographer wrote, "his occupation for the moment was to the exclusion of everything else; if he were reading, the house might fall about his head, he could not be diverted." (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/02/03/the-libraries-of-great-men-theodore-roosevelts-reading-list/)

Theodore's love of reading not only helped him to acquire knowledge, but also helped him to connect with others, a skill which came in handy as a politician.  "Whether the subject of the moment was political economy, Greek drama, tropical fauna or flora, the Irish sagas, protective coloration in nature, metaphysics, the technique of football, or post futuristic painting, he was equally at home with the experts and drew out the best that was in them." (http://teachingamericanhistory.org/past-programs/hfotw/120624-2/)

The avid reader became an avid writer, penning more than 35 books in his lifetime, including The Naval War of 1812, helping to establish him as an historian.  

For a list of books that Theodore Roosevelt read, some more than once, visit: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/02/03/the-libraries-of-great-men-theodore-roosevelts-reading-list/.

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/past-programs/hfotw/120624-2/

If Lincoln Saved the Union, His Stepmother Saved Him

"...for if Lincoln saved the Union, she [his stepmother] saved him, and for that alone she's entitled to a decent respect." (Ted Widmer)

Abraham Lincoln lost his mother at the tender age of 9.  His father courted and married a widow named Sarah Bush Johnston.  It was Sarah who encouraged Abraham to read.  "He read all the books that he could get his hands on."  And he grew up to be one of the most revered presidents of the United States.

Widower Thomas Lincoln courted and married Sarah, a widow with three children.  The blended family settled in a log cabin in Indiana.  The first gift that the new Mrs. Lincoln gave her stepson was four books:  Aesop's Fables, Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim's Progress and Sinbad the Sailor.  Books were scarce on the Indiana Frontier.  Young Abraham, who loved to read, instantly bonded with his new stepmother.  

Sarah recognized Abraham's intelligence and his passion for knowledge.  As a young boy, he used to listen to sermons by the local preacher, and then stand on a stump and repeat them, word for word.  Sarah recognized that the two had similar minds:  Abraham "cared little for clothes or food, but a great deal for ideas."  Although Sarah was illiterate herself, she nurtured Abraham's interest in books.  While it might have been easy for her to give her own children preference, she treated Abraham and his sibling just like her biological children.  Abraham responded in kind.

Sarah and Abraham remained close when he reached adulthood.  I imagine that Sarah also instilled a work ethic and a sense of perseverance in Abraham.  As an adult, although he lost many elections, he never gave up.  His stepmother was always there to cheer him on.  Abraham claimed:  "All that I am and hope to be I owe to my angel mother."  

In 1861, when Abraham was on the brink of his inauguration, he paid one last visit to his stepmother. "She is getting uneasy about you fearing that some of your political opponents will kill you."  The premonition proved correct:  four years later, just after the Civil War ended, Lincoln was assassinated in a Washington DC theatre. 

Sarah outlived her stepson by four years and was buried in an unmarked grave.  In 1924, funds were raised to give her a proper headstone.  As Ted Widmer explained:  "...for if Lincoln saved the Union, she [his stepmother] saved him, and for that alone she's entitled to a decent respect." (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/lincolns-other-mother/?_r=0)

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/lincolns-other-mother/?_r=0

Brandon Dixon is Hooked on Books

"For some reason my classmates do not believe me when I answer the question 'How did you get smart?' by pointing to the long list of books I have read since I began devouring them sometime around second grade...after truly examining my intellectual growth throughout the past 12 years, I accredit more than 50% of my knowledge to what I gleaned while reading books." (Brandon Dixon)

Brandon Dixon, a freshman at Harvard University and recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, wrote an essay about the connection between reading and good grades.  For some reading is a luxury; for others a waste of time; for Brandon, it is a necessity.  He accredits "more than 50% of [his] knowledge to what [he] gleaned while reading books."

Brandon points out that he doesn't pour over encyclopedias or dictionaries or textbooks -- he reads fiction.  Novels serve as a gateway to the world.  They peak his curiosity, prompting him to google a topic on the Internet or strike up a conversation with a budding scientist friend.  

Novels serve as a microcosm for the greater society.  Novels speak about the human condition.  They help us understand and empathize with the characters and, in turn, with other people.     

Brandon says he has learned leadership through the heroes in novels.  He has also learned about good versus evil, about morality.  He has learned that one person's definition of morality may vary from someone else's. 

The recent graduate points out that through literature, he can do almost anything.  "I have not physically experienced a lot of things in my life, but my mind has been places my body has never been..."

One might add that it was books that paved the way for Brandon to get into a prestigious school like Harvard.  I'm sure we will hear more from this well-read young man.  

http://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2015/08/31/reflections-love-of-books-leads-to-academic-success

Dr. Ben Carson's Mother Encouraged Him to Read

"Being poor, there wasn't much opportunity to go anywhere.  But between the covers of a book he could go anywhere, be anybody and do anything." (Biography.com)

How did the son of a third grade dropout become one of the most gifted neurosurgeons in the United States?  He had a mother who encouraged him to read.

Ben's mother, Sonya, married Robert Carson at the tender age of 13.  The couple had two sons, Curtis and Ben, followed by a separation after Mrs. Carson found out that her husband was already married to another woman.  

As a single mother, Mrs. Carson balanced two or three jobs at a time as a domestic servant while trying to raise two young boys in inner-city Detroit.  Determined to make ends meet, she would buy her sons' clothes at the Good Will, patching them when necessary.  The family would pick corn at a local farm in exchange for a portion of the yield.  

Although Mrs. Carson was a third grade drop out, she always encouraged her sons to do well in school.  However, both struggled in the early years, especially Ben who found himself at the bottom of the class.  When other kids ridiculed him, he would lash out in anger.  His temper seemed to get the better of him.

Mrs. Carson insisted that the boys get an education at home as well as at school.  She restricted their hours in front of the television.  Each week, she assigned them two books to read followed by a book report.  At first, Ben resisted, wanting to be with his friends.  However, in time, he started to appreciate literature.  "Being poor, there wasn't much opportunity to go anywhere.  But between the covers of a book he could go anywhere, be anybody and do anything." (http://www.biography.com/people/ben-carson-475422)

Books provided Ben with a means of escape.  They also gave Ben the chance to dream.  He started to see himself as the central character in each book he read.  Rather than sitting in a classroom in inner city Detroit, he could be Tom Sawyer meandering down the Mississippi or the lion from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  By reading, Ben developped a hunger for knowledge.

Because the Carson's had little money, if one of the boys fell ill, they had to rely on medical assistance.  At the hospital, Ben would listen to doctors being paged over the intercom.  Rather than "Dr. Brown", he would imagine he heard "Dr. Carson".  This imagery was the beginning of his medical career.  

But Ben, the child of a broken home, still battered the anger inside of him, which was bubbling to the surface.  He would fight over trivial things with his friends, classmates and mother.  One day, arguing about a radio station, Ben pulled a knife on his friend and stabbed him.  Fortunately, the knife blade snapped on his friend's belt buckle.

But Ben, unaware, raced home and locked himself in the bathroom with a Bible.  There, he pondered the verse from Proverbs 16:32 which says:  "Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self control than one who takes a city."  He memorized that verse which came in handy every time he felt the anger bubbling over again.

With his interest in his own success, Ben's teachers started showing an interest as well.  At Southwestern High, he had several mentors, especially in the science department.  Thanks to his mother's insistence that he read and study at home, he had developped good work habits and excelled in high school.  

Despite the downturn in the auto industry, Ben managed to find summer jobs in Detroit to save money for college.  His years of reading and working on his homework paid off as he received a scholarship to Yale University where he completed a psychology degree.

Ben went on to medical school and graduated as a neurosurgeon in 1977.  He received a job at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he became the head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the tender age of 33.  Ben became famous for separating conjoined twins, including a pair from Germany and a pair from Iran. Time magazine named him one of the 20 Foremost Physicians in the United States in 2001. 

An avid reader makes an avid writer and such was the case with Ben who authored several books, four of which are bestsellers.  Gifted Hands talks about his work as a surgeon.

Ben retired from medicine in 2013 and announced he was entering politics in 2015.  

http://torontotrainer.co/blog/page/18/

Carnegie's Lifelong Pursuit of Knowledge

"Carnegie and Franklin both credited their success to self-education (both spent their spare moments reading any books they could get their hands on)."

Rags to riches millionaire Andrew Carnegie dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge.  While he only had a couple of years of formal education, he was constantly educating himself and claimed that this pursuit was the key to his success.

In his Scotland hometown, Carnegie used to visit the library where he would listen to the poetry of Robert Burns.  Immigrating to America, Carnegie wrote a letter to the editor protesting the fact that he couldn't borrow books from the library, a letter which gained him entry to the library.  As a telegraph deliverer he paid visits to the theatre where he lingered to watch productions of Shakespeare.  With his Pittsburgh Library card he borrowed essays written by Charles Lamb and Thomas Macaulay.  

As a teenager, he joined the debating club and pondered questions like "Should the judiciary be elected by the people?"  Carnegie explained:  "Much of my reading...had a bearing on forthcoming debates and that gave clearness and fixity to ideas." (www.artofmanliness.com/2012/03/28/andrew-carnegie-financial-lessons/)

As a businessman, first with the railroad, then in iron and steel, Carnegie poured over Pittsburgh papers as well as the New York Daily Times.  The entrepreneur started writing books sharing his business strategies like The Gospel of Wealth and The Empire of Business.  Like Benjamin Franklin, Carnegie knew that improving himself included educating himself.  "Carnegie and Franklin both credited their success to self-education (both spent their spare moments reading any books they could get their hands on)." (https://richstudents.wordpress.com/tag/carnegie/)

Carnegie amassed a fortune only surpassed by John Rockefeller.  He believed in the mantra:  "The man who dies rich dies in disgrace." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande01.html).  Carnegie started building libraries which he called "instruments of change" and "temples of learning".  One of the first libraries, a beaux arts building in Washington D.C., the inscription read "Dedicated to the diffusion of knowledge."  In total, Carnegie gave $60 million for 2500 libraries in North America and the United Kingdom, all in the name of educating both rich and poor.

For more information, read Andrew Carnegie's Letter to the Editor at  

http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2014/06/andrew-carnegies-letter-to-editor.html.

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/01/207272849/how-andrew-carnegie-turned-his-fortune-into-a-library-legacy