Since the days I was taking out Hardy Boys mysteries from the Gravette School Library, I have always been in the middle of reading a book or two. The First Lady and I read to our children and our grandchildren. I encourage families to keep books at home to read aloud and to encourage children to read on their own. A primary education goal for my administration has been to raise the level of literacy in Arkansas, which is why in 2017 we launched the Reading Initiative for Student Excellence or R.I.S.E. The goal of R.I.S.E. is to create a culture of reading in our state.
Our reading initiative also focuses on the science of reading, which is phonics, and making sure every child reads at grade level, and if they fall behind, to help them catch up.
When it comes to books, biographies and books of history are my favorites, and today I’d like to mention the books that are on my short list to read this summer.
And so the first on my list is a book about Harry Truman. It is called Dewey Defeats Truman. In his book, the author, A.J. Baime, notes at least one similarity between the elections of 1948 and 2016. I will let you read and figure out the similarity.
The second book is included on the list since this is the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attack on the United States. It is called The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff. It is a book I wanted to read as we should never forget the attack and the resiliency of Americans.