Read All About It
Reading Mark M. Fallon’s wonderful Connections about his father taking him to the library for the first time brought back happy childhood memories (“A Library Card of My Own,” June 28). My mom taught me to read before I started elementary school, giving me a love for books that continues to this day. She also took me to the library as soon as I was old enough to get a juvenile card. Mr. Fallon’s parents gave him a gift that will never grow old or expire.
Chris Tharrington
Bethesda, Maryland
I, too, have fond memories of my very small childhood town library in my very small childhood town of Leverett, Massachusetts. Different vibe, but the same impact. I am now a middle school librarian. I plan to share this piece with my students next year, and make sure they all sign up for library cards. Thank you, Mr. Fallon, for inspiring me!
Nancy Stockwell-Alpert
Sudbury
My wife handed me this article and requested I read it. She said it sounded exactly like her first library experience with her father. She was 5 maybe 6, so it was 1960 or 1961. There is nothing that sticks in a young mind like going to the library for the first time!
Mike Casella
Watertown
I recognized that card — it reminded me of my fondness for reading, books, and libraries. I’m pleased that this love carries on in my grandchildren, who are always surrounded by books. What a legacy, Mr. Fallon!
Pat Kavanagh
Nahant
Oh how wonderful to see the photo of the library card so similar to my own first card that was issued by the very first wonderful librarian I met, Mrs. Bell in New Hyde Park, New York! This story brought back fond memories of childhood days at the library with my siblings and my father. Wonderful hours on a Saturday searching for books and finding my favorite, The Littlest One in the Family, and watching movies such as The Red Balloon. Thank you for reminding us all of the still-great importance of librarians and the library.
Meg McCormack
Norfolk
My mom took me for my first visit the summer I was 6. I wanted to visit the library sooner but in my small town of Pana, Illinois, library cards were only issued to those 6 and older. We walked four blocks to the beautiful brick library built with money from the Carnegie Foundation. That first library experience fueled a lifelong love of books. In high school, it was a quiet place to study with friends unless we didn’t have another obligation, such as piano lessons or a practice or game. Libraries everywhere I’ve lived (nine cities in six states) have played an important part in my life.
Barbara Merriman
Danvers
Please visit the children’s room of your local library. . . . The excitement is palpable and you’ll see kids are still transfixed by libraries. Parents: Encourage this! Put limits on screen time and read to and with your kids. You’re the best role models to encourage their literacy and curiosity!
L-Dawg
posted on bostonglobe.com
I remember the children’s hour at the library when a librarian read a book aloud to us. My favorite books were the orange Childhood of Famous Americans series. I’d check the books out, get five Bulls-Eyes on my way home, and have a great day. It wasn’t until I was about 50 that I realized the biographies were fictionalized. . . . Libraries are sacred temples of knowledge.
Katahdin219
posted on bostonglobe.com
On Target
“More Deer, More Ticks, More High Temperatures, More Illness” is a very good article (June 28). Twenty years ago I asked our very highly regarded pediatrician to test our kids for Lyme. Family has a small cottage in a place with very high deer and tick density. He ridiculed the thought. Some Doxy after a target rash or a positive Lyme titer [antibody test] beats months or years of severe symptoms. These are the sorts of articles that make the Globe worth reading.
Steve Stutman
Sudbury
The article refers to RFK Jr. as a “vaccine skeptic.” He’s not “skeptical” about vaccines — RFK Jr. is vehemently anti-vaccine, has been so for a long time, and should be accurately described as such. People who question things but are amenable to good evidence can be described as skeptics. But consistently misinforming people about vaccination despite knowing better makes one an antivaxxer, or, if you prefer, antivaccine. Accurate reporting, at this critical time when public health is under threat, is essential.
Dr. Eric Lang
Winchester, Kentucky
The best prevention, in places where people are outside most often, are tick tubes: cardboard toilet paper rolls filled with cotton treated with permethrin, one of the least harmful insecticides to [birds and mammals]. Mice and other critters take the cotton back to their nests, and ticks die. This is a direct line to the ticks, without spraying fields and kids. Drop the tick tubes under your shrubs, on the side of the lawn where it meets the woods or fields, and along your favorite trails. Soccer moms can bring a box to practice and drop them at the edge of the fields near the woods or tall grasses. Problem solved.
Jeff Kevorkian
Middleton
The response methods outlined are mostly permethrin, pants in socks, and washing everything after being outside. Like so many other chemicals we blithely used for generations, who knows what will be discovered about the effects on humans of permethrin. The other clothing-based methods will keep ticks from entering at the pants cuffs, but nothing stops them from traveling upward. I have another method. As a former Western Massachusetts farmer, I have traipsed around my 22 acres, through fields, forests, and wetlands. I wear 18-inch-high farmers boots. The surface is slick rubber. Ticks apparently do not recognize this as a texture on which they belong (unlike skin, clothing, or fur). My choice is the Grange boot by LaCrosse.
Jeff Lacy
Conway
Aisle Chatter
Rachel Viscomi’s Perspective is worthy of thought (“It’s 2026. Why Are We Doing Politics Like It’s 1776?” June 28). Congress needs to return to civility. Their job is to work for us, the citizens of America. Problems facing our country should be addressed and resolved for the common good. Infighting does not serve us, we the people. Problems will not be solved unless common ground is found. Hatred toward one another has to stop. We all want to accomplish similar goals. Let our countrymen come together.
Holly Smith
Scituate
Never in my 60-plus years would I have thought a president of the USA would directly threaten the lives of another country’s negotiation team, and the continued existence of their country, in order to get the deal he wants — whilst they are in the process of negotiations. . . . “May you live in interesting times” comes to mind.
ArchibaldSinclair
posted on bostonglobe.com
CONTACT US: Write to magazine@globe.com or The Boston Globe Magazine/Comments, 1 Exchange Place, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02109-2132. Comments are subject to editing.