FROM THE PRESIDENT

Deb Gerow | President , ARTA

Reading has been such an important part of my life that it ’ s difficult for me to understand how anyone can be a non-reader . I think it comes down to different experiences .

Steve Jobs theorized that through looking back over past events in one ’ s life , it is possible to connect the dots and discern what led us to our current state of being . Looking at how I grew up , it is obvious that the path to becoming a reader was clearly laid out for me .

Many of my best childhood memories feature reading . Before bed , my father would tuck me in and share the tales of the delightful animals created by Thornton Burgess . A few years later , even though I could read it myself , my mother and I shared Anne of Green Gables . We laughed together when Anne dyed her hair green , and we shared tears when Matthew Cuthbert died . For me , reading is associated with memories of time spent with loved ones .

Birthdays and Christmases were marked by the giving and receiving of books . When I had read all the books in the children ’ s section of our library ’ s neighbourhood branch , my parents took me to the main location where there was more variety . When I ran out of new choices there , my father took me upstairs to the adult section , allowing me to take out books on his card .

Of course , my parents were also readers . Books were valued in our home , and I was proud to be entrusted with their treasures when I was old enough to appreciate them . I loved the hours spent reading my mother ’ s copies of Treasure Island and A Girl of the Limberlost . My father gave me books saved from his childhood , so I also read the tales of James Oliver Curwood and G . A . Henty .

Years later , my parents and I enjoyed books by many of the same authors . My mother loved nonfiction , but she also enjoyed murder mysteries . We both came to love the books of Louise Penny and the world she created in the village of Three Pines . My father enjoyed espionage thrillers , and he introduced me to the writings of John Le Carré and Len Deighton . Whenever we visited , there was always a box of books waiting for me to take home .

As a mother and a grandmother , I have tried to maintain our family ’ s reading traditions , knowing that patterns need to be laid early . Sharing stories with the little ones , giving books as gifts , ensuring a plentiful supply , and sharing conversations about current reads are important beginnings . Hopefully , they have caught the “ book bug ” too because I believe it will enrich their lives .

SPRING 2025 | 5