Day: June 6, 2012

As I read the notice about Ray Bradbury’s death I couldn’t help but reflect on the impact his stories had on me growing up.

The Martian Chronicles first acquainted me with the fact that “Alien” was truly a matter of perspective. I’ve wondered how often earthly conflicts might have been avoided if more people had read The Martian Chronicles

Several of his short stories have stuck with me throughout my life. Of those, There Will Come Soft Rains and The Veldt  are my favorites.

I appreciated his writing style. When It came to book reports in school, Bradbury & Verne were my go to authors. I suspect that I would not be the person I am without their tales. I developed a joy in reading because of them. That joy lead me to Clarke, Heinlein, Vonnegut, Herbert, & Michener.

By the 3rd or 4th grade I had confidence in my reading ability and was fearless in any library because of an early acquaintance with Mr Bradburys’ writing.

Not so much because of information contained in Bradburys writing, but because I COULD READ his stories without stumbling too often on the words.

Bradbury painted such vivid word pictures I could see the plains of Mars, or the silhouettes  of a family playing burned forever into a wall.

It’s not just the entertaining stories writers such as I’ve mentioned give us, it’s collateral effects such as joy in reading, new ways of looking at the world & ourselves, and sparking the imagination of a ten year old on a Summer day.

There will be many people writing many words about Mr. Bradbury. I doubt none will be truer than these;

Thank you sir, for a lifetime of joy, inspiration,  and new ideas.