Of Kindles and Kids

 

A warm, cloudless eastern-North-Dakota afternoon. I’m sitting on a patio in the shade, looking out on an intersection of two quiet streets. My favorite cup of coffee sits next to my Kindle on a round, glass table top. Two grandsons and a friend have just gone inside after a rigorous exercise involving bouncing a ball at each other. Simple pleasures.

Speaking of Kindles. When I retired nine years ago, Judy and I moved into a much smaller home which required considerable downsizing of my office-and-home library. Thankfully, I live in an era where I was able to install the important books, and some casual reading as well, in the mysterious realm of cyberspace from which I can summon them to be read on a four-by-six screen. I still like books without batteries, and I do realize that access depends on the goodwill of the power company. Nevertheless, it is still rather bemusing to remind myself that I can tote several hundred volumes in one hand.

Speaking of reading. Here is another title from my reading this spring/summer.

Fatherless Generation” Redeeming the Story, by John Sower (2010). It promotes a particular approach to mentoring kids (and adults) who grew up in a fatherless home. In the process it unpacks the suitcase-full of ghosts which gather around the orphaned child and threaten to shove the orphan into the category of damaged goods. As one who grew up fatherless, myself,  I highly recommend this book, especially since the author pointed out, eleven years ago, we were “approaching” the point in which half of the young people, nineteen-and-younger, would be without a dad.