Ahhh, the question I like to hear so much that, even though it was the middle of Latin class, I took the bait and answered. "It's only my favorite book in the whole wide world." I believe is what I replied. "Really? I just finished
it last night," was the interested reply from the beaming face of the girl I had just taken her novel away from. "Well,
at least she's not mad," I thought. One of my top students in the class said, "I tried reading that, but I couldn't get past the first page." "Ruth! Zero for you," I teased, but by this point the part of the class that wasn't already talking, took this for the signal to go ahead and do so, and I had to redirect them.
At the end of class, though, the girl (who incidentally is struggling with Latin--I wonder if her work ethic has anything
to do with that?) asked for a study guide of Latin pronouns and brought it up again. "That's pretty amazing that I
asked you that question then." I, who has been asked this several times before said that I thought it comes up
occasionally since it is a book that is assigned in school. I guess I felt like I had to share this girl, for I sort of spewed:
I'm like the biggest fan of Jane Austen--I mean, probably a lot of people would say that. I'd really like to
write like her--probably a lot of people would say that, too. I went to England, though, to go to her house.
She's like--my hero.
And I really think this summed it up.