Brozina James - The reading promise: my father and the books we shared

Copyright 2011 by Kristen Alice Ozma Brozina

Reading Group Guide Copyright 2012 by Hachette Book Group

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

www.hachettebookgroup.com

www.twitter.com/grandcentralpub

Second e-book edition: March 2012

Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.

ISBN 978-1-455-50450-3

[An] utterly charming memoir, which blends Ozmas reading experience with a perfectly phrased account of her upbringing and shows us just how much she learned Sweet, engaging, and obviously inspiring this is the perfect book to hand any curmudgeon who needs reminding that reading makes a difference or thinks that todays youth are all blas. Highly recommended.

Library Journal (starred review)

All it takes is one night followed by another night and another and another. And if your family is anything like Alice Ozmas, the hardest part of your reading streak will be bringing it to an end.

NPR.org

THE READING PROMISE turns out to be about much more than a love of literature. Its about the love between parent and child, and how a simple act can become enriched with meaning.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Ozma remains an enthusiastic readerand an impressive writer. Thats what reading can do, long after Dr. Seuss has said good-bye.

Advocate

This charming memoir just might spark a revolution in communal reading.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Alice Ozma has given us the gift of a remarkable love story. In her love of books, and of her father, we see the most meaningful promises we might make to our own parents, our own children, and to ourselves.

Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor,
The Last Lecture

Poignantly written, THE READING PROMISE is a beautiful love letter from a child to her parent as Ozma shares how the simple act of reading would become such an endearing bond for her and her father Books can open the world, and Alice Ozma reminds her readers of that very promise in this delightful memoir.

Las Vegas Review Journal

The book is about reading but its greatest strength lies in the authors affection for the father who kept his promise.

Washington Post

A powerful testament to the difference a parents devotion and the act of reading can make in a childs life. A rare and triumphant story.

Chris Gardner, author of
The Pursuit of Happyness

Theres enough fodder in the [reading] list she includes at the end to launch a thousand bedtime stories as legacies go, you could do a lot worse than books.

Christian Science Monitor

This is about so much more than books and reading. Its about single-parenthood and childhood, about raising a loving, witty, articulate kid, and all of it accomplished without anyone turning into the Alpha-Parent/Tiger-Dad.

Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook

Tender, funny, and deeply readable, THE READING PROMISE tells the story of how a simple ritual became a treasured father-daughter tradition. Promise yourself to revisit what matters promise youll pick up this tribute to the ways in which books change lives.

Erin Blakemore, author of
The Heroines Bookshelf

Charming The value of reading, or more specifically, of being read to, is celebrated not only as an important part of intellectual and creative development, but also as a way to forge and to nurture relationships.

Columbus Dispatch

A sweet tribute to a devoted single parent and a powerful reminder of the bond that shared stories can create.

BookPage

Ozmas work is humorous, generous, and warmly felt, and with a terrific reading list included, there is no better argument for the benefits of reading to a child than this rich, imaginative work.

Publishers Weekly

Ozma has written a memoir as rich and revealing, witty and warm, confident and compassionate as works by people who may have been around a few more blocks, but who probably havent read as many books. Persuasive and influential, poignant and inspirational, Ozmas exuberant paean to the joys and rewards of readingand being read tois a must-read treasure for parents, especially, and bibliophiles, certainly.

Booklist

That a twenty-two-year-old could write such a polished book that is so moving and inspirational is testimony to her fathers reading promise to her and to the power of literature.

TheDailyNewsOnline.com

THE READING PROMISE is many things at once: a coming of age story, a daughters love letter to her father, and an ode to books and the joys of reading. Perhaps the true wonder is that first-time author Alice Ozma is able to achieve balance between these elements with such easeand all while infusing her words with a warmth and wisdom that defies her young age. Rather fittingly, the girl who grew up ensnared in the characters and stories of others has now written a book that is destined to have that very same effect on countless readers throughout the world.

Examiner.com

A warm memoir and a gentle nudge to parents about the importance of books, quality time, and reading to children.

Kirkus Reviews

For readers and daddys girls everywhere, THE READING PROMISE is a perfect blend of great memories and great writing. Not only is the writing smart and clear, the memories have such universal appeal I really love this book. Its charming, clever, funny, and important. Important because it calls to arms bibliophiles everywhere as our school libraries and books themselves come under attack from slashed budgets; because it honors a great man; and because any girl who loves books and loves her dad now has the perfect Fathers Day gift lined up.

MLive.com (Michigan Local News)

Captivating For anyone with a love of books and particularly those who love reading aloud, THE READING PROMISE is a must-read.

Wired.com

We hear over and over again about the importance of reading aloud to children, but rarely do we hear from the kids themselves about what it means to them truly delightful read. We navigate Alices world with her, watching her grow and mature into a rather exceptional young woman.

Keplers.com

At a time when books often seem under attack, threatened with redundancy by the more aggressive advocates of new media, it is good to read so spirited and charming a paean in praise of the pleasures of reading as THE READING PROMISE the book is more than just the pact they made. It records the ups and downs of growing up in a single-parent household that was simultaneously very ordinary and truly remarkable.