Laura Bush warns of perils of not reading
NEW YORK (AP) - March 5, 2008 Bush, a former librarian whose advocacy of books and literacy
have long made her popular in the publishing industry, cited such
fictional characters as the Brothers Karamazov and "an intriguing
man named Gatsby" and worried that many Americans had never heard
of them.
"A nation that does not read for itself cannot think for itself
and a nation that cannot think for itself risks losing both its
identity and its freedom," said Bush, who called the passion for
reading "learned behavior that should be taught at home and at
schools."
Bush spoke at the annual meeting of the Association of American
Publishers, held at the Yale Club in midtown Manhattan. The first
lady and daughter Jenna Bush have co-authored a children's book,
"Read All About It!". It will be published in April by
HarperCollins.
