The Book of Charlie was born when the author's children asked him to write a book for them. And he came up with an idea of writing about someone who had lived in different eras of over a century. That would be Charlie White, their neighbor, who was born August 16, 1905. Charlie's life was a wonderful journey of grit, resilience, and the capacity to embrace life as a collection of opportunities. Of grit, when he and his friends traveled from Kansas to California by car, but in a time when the cars easily broke down and there were no paved roads. Of resilience, when he was rejected for admission to medical school, but then resolved to talk to the dean to take him in. Of embracing opportunities, when he offered his own tonsils to use for show and tell for his class.
This book took me back in history and made me compare the train of changes today, from music to the type of cars people drive. I listened to the music of Kristoffer Kristofferson while I was reading chapter 6, which dealt with the 1920's. Charlie lost me when he was explaining how to operate Model T car, during a time when there were no gas stations and no maps.
I could not wrap up in one single thought what I learned from reading this book, because I learned plenty. All I can say is that Charlie survived and thrived mainly because of his ability to adapt to change and, as he says, to "keep his daubers up," which means to stay sharp. Charlie dared and lived greatly.
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