Let's talk about great literature. I'm serious. No, it's not boring. Hear me out.
The greatest, most influential writer of the last 100 years is…sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Seventy five percent of what I read these days is on a screen. Lately I’ve been thinking of great books. Here’s why:
A couple of actual friends recently hit me with a Facebook challenge to list the ten books that have had the greatest impact on me. Should be easy, I thought. Beats a bucket of ice water. My mom had me in books before I was out of diapers. I had a library card years before I had a social security card. I've read a few books, many more than I can remember.
Which may explain why I can only come up with five. And two of those are collections. It's getting kind of embarrassing because the challenge came over a week ago. I'd be pulling my hair out if there was enough to grab.
While I can't come up with ten books at this time, I can come up with my top book. And it happens to be by the greatest writer of my lifetime.
“Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss.
That’s right, Dr. Seuss. If, somehow, you haven’t read this book, run to your nearest Dr Seuss book emporium and read it. Then read it again. This book has completely guided my life’s path. The message is simple. Don’t be afraid to try new things. I’m not.
You might remember when Senator Cruz, darling of mad Canadian Cubans everywhere, completely misinterpreted the message after reading it out loud in the Senate lady’s room. He should be excused though, Seuss-lish is probably just his fourth language.
Don’t let old Ted’s showboating stop you, read it now. It’s one of many by the guy whose books teach you more than most anything you can find about how to get along in the world. If you were born in America in the last seventy years, most likely you’ve read him or someone read him to you.
Not only did the good doctor share great life lessons, he managed to predict the future. Don’t believe me? Go find yourself a copy of the 1958 classic “Yertle the Turtle and other stories.”
For those of you unfamiliar, Yertle is the King of the Pond. A nice little pond. But Yertle is greedy and he doesn’t care about the other turtles in the pond and his greed for power leaves him King of the Mud.
Any resemblance to a particular U.S. Senator from Kentucky is purely prophetic for the great Seuss. Our Senator Yertle has been wallowing in the mud for a few decades and it seems to have effected his vision. Definitely his thinking.
I’m not sure if he realizes this, but he keeps running a campaign against a president that will be out of office in two years. So it’s going to be tough for Ms. Grimes to serve the “Obama agenda” after he’s gone only one third of the way into her term.
I think it’s pretty clear whose agenda Senator Yertle will be serving if he’s still in there in two years. And if your name doesn’t start with a K, end in an H, and have OC in the middle, then it sure ain’t yours.
So take a tip from Dr. Seuss. Thirty years is long enough. It’s high time to try something new next election day.