Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White

Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White

by Melissa Sweet

I've read a lot of E.B. White's work, but I didn't know much about him. This book was an incredibly enjoyable way to learn about him, and is probably my favorite biography read so far.

I loved this book because it really pulls the reader in. It goes beyond words on a page; it is presented as a scrapbook of E.B. White's life. Snippets of letters and White's early work are beautifully laid out on the pages. Sweet adds a lot of color and character with bright illustrations, giving readers visual insight into the author's life.

Some quotes I could especially relate to:

- "'There is a secret joy in discovering a blunder in the public prints,' Andy wrote. 'Almost every person has a little proofreader in him'" (44).

- "To a writer, a child is an alibi. If I should never write anything worth reading, I can always explain that by pointing to my child" (50).

- "A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell" (102, also from The Elements of Style).

Banned Book: Charlotte's Web

Fern is a young girl who speaks out against her father trying to kill the runt of a litter of pigs. Since she makes such a passionate point, Fern’s father lets her keep the pig as a pet. At least for a little while… When it’s time for Fern to sell her pig, whom she named Wilbur, she sends him to her uncle’s farm down the road, so she can still see him. Fern visits the barn often, and becomes friends with the animals, who can talk. Charlotte, a wise spider, comes out of the woodwork (no pun intended) to save Wilbur’s life when the farmer is thinking of making bacon.

I read this book as a kid and loved it, as well as the cartoon movie adaptation. I re-read it over the summer in my book club for adults with disabilities. I remembered the general story, but forgot a lot of the details, as well as the writing style, which I think adds a lot to the story. The book club seemed to enjoy the book as well.

This book was banned because “talking animals were seen as an insult to God.” Yes. Really.