The phrase "I have read…" comes to mind often. For instance, I want to write about the personal value of being able to read and the history of reading. As I think about my gratitude to the taxpayers who supported the schools and the teaching of reading, about what I have learned about the history of reading, the French king Charlemagne ("big Charles") comes to mind. Many of his ministers could read and he wanted to learn. He had difficulty and thought that maybe keeping a book under his pillow while he slept would help the process.
Most of the time, when I think of where or how I learned some fact or idea, I don't know WHERE I read it. So, like a student writing a research paper, I need to note my sources. I have mentioned the book "Why Learn History When It Is Already on Your Phone" by Sam Wineburg. (Right now, that book in Kindle form is available for $4 from Amazon.) To me, that story about Charlemagne emphasizes that I did learn a second form of communication after learning to speak English at home.
I wonder how much that is in my head came from reading. I wonder how many books I ever borrowed from the Enoch Pratt libraries of Baltimore.
