Aug 01, 2024 2:39 AM

Spinning a web of reading

Posted Aug 01, 2024 2:39 AM
Photo: The result of one of my mother’s DIY haircuts.
Photo: The result of one of my mother’s DIY haircuts.

By Jeff Abell

I struggled with reading as a child, regularly frustrated with my lack of retention. I credit two influences that ignited the fire of my life-long love affair with reading — comic books and my elementary school librarian.

The first got me hooked on reading, while the latter helped foster that passion. When I was young, my mother would insist on cutting my hair, giving me the classic bowl cut. It was an embarrassing blend of mismatched lengths and uneven bangs.

At some point, my father noticed my disdain for these haircuts and took me to his barbershop. Of course, a trip to my father’s barber meant I would likely receive a buzz cut, but that was preferable to the alternative.

I was 6 years old, and this was my first time inside a barbershop. As my father directed me to a seat, I saw a stack of worn and well-read comic books on a table.

I picked one up, and within those pages was the perfect blend of art, action, and story. I was hooked and kept reading until I was pulled away by the barber’s recurring calls of “Next!”

Who knew a bad haircut would open the door to a new world? After leaving the barbershop, I asked my mother for some change to buy my first comic. It was “Amazing Spider-Man” (I wish I could remember the issue number), and it was glorious. Fast forward to the present day, and I now own a comic shop. A few months ago, a young boy came into the shop. Enthusiastically, he combed the shelves, handling the comics gingerly as if they were porcelain dishes.

Nervously, he brought them up to the counter, his parents flanking him on both sides. “These are my first comics,” he said proudly.

A few months later, his mother stopped by the shop. As she spoke, tears began streaming down her cheek. Confused, I asked her if she was OK. She said she felt silly for crying, but they were tears of joy.She recounted that her son had difficulty reading and often felt discouraged. However, her son read and reread the comics they purchased, and those comics spurred a trip to the Burlington library. And from there, he read his first book.

Her words brought me back full circle to my childhood. My thoughts returned to St. Andrew’s Grade School and its little library. I attended a Catholic school in my hometown, staffed by nuns — including the school’s librarian. She was a patient soul whose love of the written word was infectious. She took me under her wing and suggested a few books. From there, with her encouragement, I kept reading and continuously challenged myself with longer and more complex books. Reading led me to writing, which ultimately led to journalism.

All because of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and a librarian with printer’s ink in her veins. Sister Giuseppi was not only a librarian and teacher but a real-life saint who started me on a journey of discovery. I can confidently say I would not have become a journalist without her kind heart.

Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.”

Burlington has a great library staffed with caring people who work hard to instill a love of knowledge in their patrons. The same can be said of the librarians, staff, and volunteers at the New London, Danville, and Henderson County libraries and all of the libraries in the surrounding area. Thank a librarian today because they are real-life superheroes who help to fuel the imaginations of young and old alike.