NoJoMo 14 -- Dandelion Wine in NoJoMo 2018

10th grade English class. We were doing a unit on science fiction. After the assigned books, (neither of which I liked, not being a sci fi fan at the time), Mr. Bailey said we were to select two books of own choosing, and write a paper comparing and contrasting them.

I very much wanted to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which had just come out and was a bestseller. At first, Mr. Bailey objected to my choice, saying I should pick something more challenging. I must have looked disappointed, because he relented, but on one condition: my second book would have to be Dandelion Wine.

He said that of all his students, I would “get” the book, and he insisted I read it. I’d never heard of the book or author, and wasn’t that enthusiastic about having my “free choice” selected for me, but I reluctantly agreed, since I didn’t have another book in mind and I really wanted to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

I don’t know if I “got it”, but i absolutely loved Dandelion Wine. It is the book that got me interested in sci fi in general, and in Ray Bradbury especially. I went on to read almost everything else he wrote, even though I’m not usually a fan of short stories (they feel unfinished and unsatisfying).

I am forever grateful to Mr. Bailey for assigning me that book, and even more so for his somehow knowing that it was the right book for me.