By Tricia Haggerty Wenz
“A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them.” — Mark Twain
In 1977, when I was in the 2nd grade, I spent an extended period of time at home recovering from surgery. I remember feeling bored and sad until one day my mom handed me an abridged version of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It was in that moment and that book that I began my lifelong love of reading and discovered the unique voice of Mark Twain. It led me down the road of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
But I left Twain right there, in my childhood for many, many years.
Until about five years ago. Looking for a thin and light book to pack for a vacation I grabbed Twain’s The Diaries of Adam & Eve.
What can I say, he had me from the first page. He combined his familiar humor with a thoughtfulness that said so much about the state of marriage and gender roles. Somehow this book that was written in 1904 about the first man and woman transcends time and can speak to us today about companionship and gender equality.
If you are like me and it has been a while since you spent time with Mark Twain, I encourage you to go back and discover his books and his wisdom once again. It would be a great way to celebrate his birthday and the vital role he plays in our history.
P.S. Want to read The Diaries of Adam & Eve? You can find it HERE.