I read this book in a few hours shortly after I discovered the “Libby” app on my phone. I downloaded this book to try the app out and ended up being entranced by it. I read A Man Called Ove, also by Backman a few years ago (and blogged about it), so I was familiar with the author.
But to be honest I barely remember what this book was about — so, as much as I enjoyed it at the time, it doesn’t have staying power for me.
Finally, the publishers of My Book House Books enclosed a Child Personality and Character Chart for the parents to fill out about their child(ren). My mom filled it out twice. Once in November, 1961 shortly after receiving the books and again in February, 1965 when I was 9. My scores were as follows:
| Section | 1st Analysis | 2nd Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Confidence | 85% | 84.5% |
| 2: Cooperation | 83% | 99.5% |
| 3: Emotional Stability | 80% | 85% |
| 4: Mental Alertness | 88% | 81% |
Something made my mom bite the bullet and buy the books for me. Not only did she buy the set of 12 volume set of My Book House books, but she also bought me the two volume set of Junior Instructor books and she bought herself the two volume set of teaching guides, called “In Your Hands.”
According to the bill of sales below, my mother paid $99.50 for the above books on November 18, 1961. If this online calculator can be trusted, that’s $715.09 in today’s money. I am even more impressed now that my folks spent that much money on a set of books for me. They were not well-off, by any means. I was 5. I wonder if I showed some sign of wanting to read and they saw it. Or perhaps a teacher said the books would be a good idea.
Whatever reason, I am grateful.
Clutch Cargo Lips 