The Reading Promise, Alice Ozma
The Reading Promise, Alice Ozma
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The Reading Promise
My Father and the Books We Shared

Author: Alice Ozma, Jim Brozina

Narrator: Alice Ozma

Unabridged: 7 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/03/2011

Synopsis

When Alice Ozma was in 4th grade, she and her father decided to see if he could read aloud to her for 100 consecutive nights. On the hundreth night, they shared pancakes to celebrate, but it soon became evident that neither wanted to let go of their storytelling ritual. So they decided to continue what they called "The Streak." Alice's father read aloud to her every night without fail until the day she left for college.

Alice approaches her book as a series of vignettes about her relationship with her father and the life lessons learned from the books he read to her.

Books included in the Streak were: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and Shakespeare's plays.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ann on August 20, 2011

I loved the concept but intensely disliked the book. I am amazed people thought it was well-written, because it felt like a little kid trying to write an adult book. I found the language stilted and conversations unrealistic. In spite of spending every night reading together, I never felt any warmth......more

Goodreads review by Hilary on June 24, 2018

I loved the idea of this book and was excited to start reading this one. I love reading aloud and apart from the odd night when my daughter is on a sleepover or residential I read aloud every night for at least half an hour and have done since my son was born 18 years ago, so I was looking forward t......more

Goodreads review by Kathrina on June 16, 2011

Here's an aphorism that needs to be debunked: Being a frequent reader does not make you a better person; all that this book proves is that being a frequent reader makes you more well-read. You will still suffer the same dysfunctions the non-reading public suffers, but maybe you can quote Dorothy Par......more

Goodreads review by Andres on May 15, 2011

Full disclosure: I didn't actually finish this book. I made it through 9 chapters (85 pages). Then I skimmed forward through the rest of the book and found more of the same, which caused me to close this book and accept defeat: I was done in by an excess amount of earnest precious- and precociousnes......more

Goodreads review by Michael on May 31, 2011

Most of us will agree there's something magical about reading. It's why when a lot of us who are bibliophiles hear that reading is declining more and more each year, we are a bit saddened by this news. Many of us may wonder what we can do about it and how we can inspire the next generation to contin......more

Quotes

"Persuasive and influential, poignant and inspirational, Ozma's exuberant paean to the joys and rewards of reading-- and being read to-- is a must-read treasure for parents, especially, and bibliophiles, certainly." -Booklist, starred review

"This is the perfect book to hand any curmudgeon who needs reminding that reading makes a difference or thinks that today's youth are all blase. Highly recommended." -Library Journal, starred review

"Ozma's work is humorous, generous, and warmly felt, and with a terrific reading list included, there is no better argument for the benefits of reading to a child than this rich, imaginative work." -Publisher's Weekly

"A warm memoir and a gentle nudge to parents about the importance of books, quality time and reading to children." -Kirkus Reviews

"Alice Ozma has given us the gift of a remarkable love story. In her love of books, and of her father, we see the most-meaningful promises we might make to our own parents, our own children, and to ourselves." -Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor, The Last Lecture

"Tender, funny, and deeply readable, THE READING PROMISE tells the story of how a simple ritual became a treasured father-daughter tradition. Promise yourself to revisit what matters...promise you'll pick up this tribute to the ways in which books change lives." - Erin Blakemore, author of The Heroine's Bookshelf

This is about so much more than books and reading. It's about single-parenthood and childhood, about raising a loving, witty, articulate kid, and all of it accomplished without anyone turning into the Alpha-Parent/Tiger-Dad. -Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook

"THE READING PROMISE is a powerful testament to the difference a parent's devotion and the act of reading can make in a child's life. A rare and triumphant story." - Chris Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pursuit of Happyness

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