It’s Cause Ah’ Read, Baba’

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Susannah Bianchi

Someone sent me a personal email asking how I know so much after reading my post…Things You May Not Know.

At first I thought it must be code for, wanna have a cuppa coffee, since, what a silly question. But then remembered, he’s gayer than a showgirl on a Saturday night, realizing, she was being serious.

You always say, you never went to college, he wrote. That’s true, I never did, but what do you think people do in college Skippy, they read.

I’m a serial reader, I am, because nothing is quite like learning something inspiring you didn’t know.

Think of it as all the lights going on in your brain clearing a path for enlightenment.

My first self-taught course was on the American Civil War when I read The Killer Angels, a historical novel that won The Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975, about the Battle of Gettysburg. It was also the book inspiring Ken Burns to make his epic film, The Civil War. After wetting my beak, as they say, I read everything I could get my little manicured mitts on about The War Between the States, another name for that heart-wrenching war.

Years ago a salesman working at the long gone, Madison Avenue Bookshop, told me…reading is like any other muscle…the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

In other words, the more you read, the smarter you’ll be and the more interesting you’ll become.

Who knew The Vietnam Wall was opposed by so many? Not me, being quite moved by it every time I had the privilege of seeing it until reading, A Rift in the Earth, what Maya Lin, who designed it, called her vision.

The next time I visit, I’ll have so much more to think about.

When I read a book, words become a printed buffet, allowing me to take what I want to keep and remember. When I compile a list to share, it’s the meat and potatoes of my reading life.

Whether it’s naming all 6 of Henry VIII’s wives, or 45 American Presidents.

The Marquis de Lafayette sending George Washington the key to the Bastille, that still hangs on a Mount Vernon wall.

Actor Montgomery Clift loving to stroll down Fifth Avenue in a snazzy suit, eating caviar right out of the tin.

That Arthur Miller’s play, After the Fall, is all about his troubled marriage to Marilyn Monroe, and journalist Pete Hamill’s wry remark, that dating Jackie Kennedy was like taking King Kong to the beach.

I even know there are over 200 positions in the Kama Sutra, and no, I haven’t tried them all, but let’s just say, if it were a Jeopardy category, I’d leave my fellow contestants in the dirty dancin’ dust.

Whenever someone asked the late, great Bill Hicks how he knew something, he’d always say without pause…it’s cause ah’ read baba’.

That’s what I emailed back to the gay showgirl, then nicely asked if by any chance, he had a library card. images.jpeg

🙂

SB

 

About Susannah Bianchi

I'm just a girl who likes to write slightly on slant. I've had a career in fashion, dabbled in film and to be honest, I don't like talking about myself. Now my posts are another matter so I will let them speak for themselves. My eBooks, A New York Diary, Model Behavior: Friends For Life and Notes From A Working Cat can be found on Amazon.com. Thanks.
This entry was posted in Books, creative writing, Culture, History, humor, inspiration, internet, New York City, Politics, readng, words, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

59 Responses to It’s Cause Ah’ Read, Baba’

  1. skinnyuz2b says:
    May 12, 2019 at 6:59 am

    Susannah, another benefit is that the more you read, the faster you are able to read and comprehend. A great skill for test taking.
    I bet you’d ace a lot of CLEPs (college level examination program). for instance, lawyers can pass the bar without obtaining a law degree.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Susannah Bianchi says:
      May 12, 2019 at 7:27 am

      Wow, never knew that. You’re right about speed. I do read faster than ever, and though selective, remember a lot. It’s such a gift to read. When people say they don’t, I am so completely bewildered. As a teacher and scholar, I know you understand. sigh

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. aFrankAngle says:
    May 12, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Brilliantly and very well stated. A great example of the more one learns, the more they realize how much there is to learn and how much they don’t know. I have also demonstrated the power of informal learning! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Dale says:
    May 12, 2019 at 11:12 am

    Truer words were never said.
    When one reads, one becomes a fabulous conversationalist, as well.
    And fuggedaboutit! Trivial Pursuit is a game for readers!
    Wonderful post, Ms Reader par Excellence!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Sorryless says:
    May 12, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    Ms Bibliophile,

    That old thing about “Reading, Writing and ‘Rithmetic” comes from a single body of water . . reading. Because you’re not getting to any of those other two places without the first one. And from there, you get wherever you want to go.

    You’re right, as per. ” . . . a printed buffet . .” Tell you what, the voodoo you do is so very true. So please, keep on doing it. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Eilene Lyon says:
    May 12, 2019 at 1:48 pm

    Looks like one smart cat there!

    It is important to be somewhat selective about what one reads. You choose well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. kindredspirit23 says:
    May 12, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    I spout trivia and most of the people listening just look at me. The trivia I know will, most likely, not help me to win “Trivial Pursuit” (I am excellent at word games and such, but…”there were 3 golf balls hit on the moon”…is not on such a level). I love the strange, the diverse, and the obscure. Hmm, you are none of those, yet I do like you…I may have to rethink this.
    Scott

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Anne Mehrling says:
    May 12, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    Even this post has lots of miscellaneous information! I once knew the wives of Henry VIII in order. If I wanted to stretch my brain, I’d try to remember them now. It’s easier not to. I admire your reading habit and the ability to retain facts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. David Stewart says:
    May 12, 2019 at 9:50 pm

    Reading is the best way to learn anything, I think, but you know I’m biased. You must have the equivalent of at least a master’s degree in American history by now, I’d say. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. robprice59 says:
    May 13, 2019 at 3:35 am

    Another muscle we have in common. (Did that sound rude?) 😉

    Like

    Reply

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