Today I am going to write a book report. This is my chance to make up for an overdue high school book report I failed to submit to Miss Gertrude Hansen back in 1961.
Miss Hansen’s impact on my life is significant and continues to this day, some 55 years later. She entered my life over a half century ago during my senior year at Puyallup High School where she was my psychology / sociology teacher and college guidance counselor.
Miss Hansen inspired me to attend college by her words and deeds. One day she asked, “Joe, are you going to go to college or not?” I quickly inquired, “Miss Hansen, why do you ask?” She replied, “If you are going to college, I would like to submit your name for a $200 Puyallup Rotary / Citizens Bank scholarship.” I said, “Scholarship you say! I guess I am going to college.”
Economically $200 was not a lot of money in 1962. To put it in perspective, two hundred dollars in 1962 is equivalent to $1,577 today. When $1,577 is applied against today’s annual college expenses of $58,352, $1,577 is still not a lot of money. Conversely, it was a lot of money to me in terms of motivational power because my benefactor was investing $200 in the development of my future.
I absolutely could not disappoint my benefactor and have them think they had made a bad $200 investment. So I worked hard in college and was much more successful academically than I had been in high school.
Catapulting me into college was not the only influence Miss Hansen had on my life. She also introduced me to a lovely and intelligent classmate I instantly fell in love with. This summer I am looking forward to celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary. Yes, I earned the grade of A for high school dating.
Thank you Miss Hansen.
And now, Miss Hansen, I wish to submit my long overdue book report.
I love to read. I read at home, on airplanes and in coffee shops. I never leave the house without a book. If I have to kill time in line, in a waiting room or waiting for a friend, I break out my current read. If I was knocked down in a crosswalk by a hit and run driver, I could lie bleeding in the crosswalk reading my book until the ambulance arrived.
Recently Larry King, an old pal from high school, gave me a book titled High Seas Darkness, written by Burr B. Anderson, a friend of ours from college.
Author Burr Anderson’s book is unique for all of us because it holds the potential to entertain on not one, but two distinct levels.
The first fun entertainment level is the simple pleasure of reading the book. Burr Anderson weaves a fascinating tale as the reader is taken along on a high seas cruise ship adventure with Private Investigator Brick Morgan leading the way. If you like cops and robbers stories, intrigue, suspense with twists and turns and a thread of terrorism, you will find High Seas Darkness to be an entertaining book.
The second fun entertainment level relates to the fact that a good part of the story is set where we live, work and play: our own Pacific Northwest. You will discover references to street names and places you recognize such as Frisco Freeze in Tacoma’s North End.
Burr Anderson spent a good portion of his early life in Tacoma including attending Wilson High School and the University of Puget Sound, before becoming a nationally recognized General Manager with New York Life Insurance Company.
If you would like some rock solid entertainment, buy a copy of Burr Anderson’s book. I am not the only person raving about Burr Anderson’s work. Check out the long list of positive and inspiring comments found on Burr’s website. Here are three ways you can buy the book:
(1) Buy directly from Burr Anderson – Author.
If you buy the book(s) directly from the author and mention that Joe Boyle sent you, he will custom autograph each and every book you buy. I love owning books autographed by authors, especially local authors.
A book autographed by the author can make a unique and treasured gift for any readers you might have on your gift list.
What if someday your autographed copy turns out to be like an original autographed Ernest Hemingway?
Autographed hardback – $25.00 including tax, shipping and handling.
Autographed soft-cover – $18.00 including tax, shipping and handling.
If the idea of an autographed copy appeals to you contact the author at his email address of burranderson@gmail.com or via his website contact link to work out the details.
(2) Amazon Books
(3) Barnes and Noble
Now that I have finished my book report, I am going to relax in a comfortable chair and read Burr Anderson’s first book, The Drummer.
If I write a book report on The Drummer I expect Puyallup High School will want to enhance my high school GPA to 4.0. After all, when you consider my belated tenacious book report performance along with my high school dating record, it is easy to conclude that Puyallup High School was mistaken for not honoring me with a spot in their Top Ten Graduating Seniors for 1962.
Joe I am all comfy in my new home at 8610 D. Thank you for selling
Great story, Joe. We can never thank our teachers enough for those little nudges that change our lives. I still think about Mr. Preproski who walked in on the first day and wrote down the priority needs of human beings. It makes you appreciate what you’ve got.