A Celebration of Reading

'The home is the child's first school,
the parent is the child's first teacher,
and reading is the child's first subject.'
-Barbara Bush

I had the honor of attending a Celebration of Reading benefiting The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy & The Barbara Bush Texas Fund for Family Literacy where I got an exclusive look at several books from renowned authors and and exclusive excerpt from George W. Bush's new book 'Decision Points.'

While the world awaited the Royal Wedding, I had a night with American Royalty President George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, & President George W. Bush for A Celebration of Reading.

Photo Credit: Haili Pue / Celebration of Reading

We gathered at the Hobby Center, here in Houston, to listen to excerpts by Jennifer Thompson & Ronald Cotton, Lester Smith, Scott Turow, & President George W. Bush. (Unfortunately Sara Gruen was unable to attend)

Attendees received one copy of the five books below during the benefit.

Innocent by Scott Turow

Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson & Ronald Cotton

When Picking Cotton was presented Cotton sang part of the excerpt. The same exact tune he sang while at trial. One woman that I sat with at dinner told me that she broke into tears when she heard him sing.

You Gotta Dance like No One's Watching by Lester Smith

Lester Smith's 'You Gotta Dance like No One's Watching' was incredibly inspirational. The audience loved Smith as he kept a smile on the face of many and left the audience laughing even as he left the stage. As a survivor of cancer he keeps on his toes and in good spirit throughout the novel, at least through from what was presented. Check out Lester's book by simply clicking on the picture of the novel above.

Ape House by Sara Gruen

Gruen, who is one of my favorite authors at the moment, was not able to be present as she was ill the night of a Celebration of Reading.

Decision Points by President George W. Bush

There was not a dry eye in the house when former President George W. Bush read from his new release 'Decision Points' detailing his first hand experience with September 11.

'I believe it will be impossible to reach definitive conclusions about my presidency or any recent presidency for that matter, for several decades. The passage of time allows passions to cool, results to clarify, and scholars to compare different approaches. My hope is that this book will serve as a resource for anyone studying this period of American History. Second, I write to give readers a perspective on decision making in a complex environment. Many of the decisions that have reached the President's desk are tough calls. With strong arguments on both sides. Throughout the book I describe the options I've made and the principles I've followed. I hope this will give you a better sense of why I made the decisions I did. Perhaps it will even prove useful as you make choices in your life. The first decision in the book is why I run for President. By the way, for those of you who've bought the book I thank you very much and for those of you who haven't yet you're still inventory. [audience laughs]


'......Years later millions of Americans would learn would learn mother & dad's story. From the beginning I knew it by heart. One of my first memories is sitting on the floor with mother looking through scrapbooks. She showed me photos from dad's pilot training in Corpus Christi, box scores from his games in the College World Series, and a famous picture of him with Babe Ruth on the pitcher's mound at Yale Field. I poured over photos from their wedding - a navy officer & a smiling young bride. My favorite part of the scrapbook is a piece of rubber from the raft that saved dad's life in the Pacific. I would love when he would tell stories from the war. He refused to brag but mother wouldn't. She adored him and so did I. As I got older there would be others that I'd look up to but the truth is I never had to search for a role model. I was the son of George Bush.

.....and then I talk about mother. [audience laughs] For a while after Robin's death I felt like an only child. Brother Jed, seven years younger than me was just a baby. My two youngest brothers Neil & Marvin, and my sister Dara arrived later. As I got older mother continued to play a big role in my life. She was the cub scouting mother and drove us to Carlsbad Caverns. Where we walked against the stalactites & the stalagmites. As a little league mom she kept score at every game. She took me to the nearest orthodontist in Big Spring and tried to teach me French in the car. I can still picture us riding through the desert with me repeating 'Ferme la bouche.' Along the way I picked up a lot of mother's personality. We have the same sense of humor, we like the need of showing affection, and sometimes to make a point. We both have tempers that can flair rapidly, and we can be blunt. A trait that gets us into trouble from time to time. When I ran for the Governor of Texas I told people that I had my daddy's eyes and my mother's mouth. I said it to get a laugh, but it was true.




In the course of the book I talk about all of the consequential moments. There was nothing more consequential than September the 11th.

'On a short walk from the motorcade to the classroom Karl Rove mentioned an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. That sounded strange. I envisioned a little propeller plane horribly lost. Then Condi called. I spoke to her from a secure phone in the classroom that had been converted into a communications center for the traveling White House staff. She told me the plane that had just struck the trade center was not a light aircraft it was a commercial airliner. I was stunned the plane must of had the worst pilot in the world. How could he have possibly of flown into a skyscraper on a clear day? Maybe he'd had a heart attack. I told Condi to stay on top of the situation. I asked my Ccommunication's Director, Dan Bartlett, to work on a statement promising the full support of the Federal Emergency Management Services. I greeted Booker's present, a friendly Mormon named Gwen Rigell. She introduced me to the teachers, Sandra K. Daniels, and her room full of 2nd graders. Mrs. Daniel's lead the class through a reading drill. After a few minutes she told the students to pick up their lesson books. I sensed a presence behind me. Andy Card pressed his head next to mine and whispered in my ear 'A second plane hit the second tower' he said pronouncing each word deliberately in his Massachusetts accent. 'America is under attack.' My first reaction is outrage. Someone had dared to attack America and they were going to pay. Then I look at the faces of the children in front of me. I thought about the contrast the brutality of the attackers and the innocence of those children. Many like them would soon would soon be counting on me to protect them and I was determined not to let them down. I saw reporters at the back of the room learning the news on their cell phones and pagers. Instinct kicked in. I knew my reaction would be recorded...throughout the world. The nation would be in shock. The President could not be. If I stormed out hastily it would scare the children and send ripples of panic throughout the country. The reading lesson continued but my mind raced.........."

Although the excerpt ends here you can read more of Bush's book by simply clicking on the picture above to go directly to the book's link. Hearing Bush read the last part of his excerpt simply lead me to tears. It had hit like a lightning bolt in my memory and took me back to that day, like it was yesterday. I remember where I was, how I felt, how everyone panicked. I could not help but crying as did all of the other members in the audience.

Photo Credit: Haili Pue / Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Photo Credit: Haili Pue / The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

We finished the night off with a lovely dinner while discussing the novels we would most like to read when discovering that our table had received Sarah Gruen's 'Ape House.'  I was looking forward to Gruen's excerpt, but she had fallen ill and was not able to make an appearance. Luckily I have Gruen's new novel to look forward to!

 

Photo Credit: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

It was an incredibly wonderful evening for a great cause! Thank you to all who came out and supported such a lovely event.

Please visit The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy:
The Foundation's Website
The Foundation's Facebook
The George H.W. Bush Library