English
Русский
On April 2, the International Children's Book Day was celebrated all over the world. The participants of the project EURASIA KIDS learned from the members of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, what books have become significant for them in life. Young journalists asked adults to answer two questions: the book shocked you the most in life, what you have learned from reading it; name the books that you want to recommend for reading to schoolchildren.
Svetlana Smirnova, First Deputy Secretary General – Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian peoples’ Assembly, Chairman of the Council of the Assembly of Peoples of Russia, Doctor of Political Sciences, Member of the Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations, Deputy of the State Duma of the III and IV convocations:
- As a child, I read everything I found. In general, I really liked to read books about the war. I loved reading books about strong and courageous people who saved our future. I liked the literature about the strong in spirit. I loved Nikolai Ostrovsky's novel "How Steel was tempered" very much. I still remember the quote: "The most precious thing for a person is life. It is given to him once, and it must be lived in such a way that it would not be excruciatingly painful for the aimlessly lived years, so that shame would not burn for the mean and petty past, so that, dying, he could say: all his life and all his strength were given to the most beautiful thing in the world — the struggle for the liberation of humanity."
Kira Kovnat, Head of the Sustainable Development Department of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly:
- When I was young, I liked the books by Roger Zelazny "The Chronicles of Amber" and Robert Heinlein "Friday" the most. The first one taught me not to be afraid to fantasize, and the second one explained that analyzing is cool.
Marina Plyasunova, Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly:
- When I was 12 years old, I really liked the book "Martin Eden" by Jack London. For me, this is a book about faith. First of all, about a person's faith in his own strength.
Marina Volkova, Head of the Happiness Department of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, President of the International Charitable Foundation "Give Good to the World":
- "Gargantua and Pantagruel" is a satirical novel by the French writer Francois Rabelais about two giant gluttons, father and son, struck me during my studies at the university (and these were difficult years with a shortage of goods and cards) with a variety of delicious food. It was very memorable, and when I reread it, I saw the depth of the work, drew attention to way the author denounces the eternal human vices and ridicules the weaknesses, shortcomings and problems of his time.
As a child, the first acquaintance with the "Little Prince" of Antoine de Saint-Exupery took place. Every page of this fairy tale-parable is imbued with warmth and light emanating from the main character – the Little Prince. He is naive and wise, it would seem that these are incongruous qualities, but in the main character they only complement each other. Now this book is a desktop, it has a lot of wisdom and depth, a lot of hidden truths related to people's lives.
One of more vivid childhood memories is Andersen's fairy tale "Wild Swans". The heroes of the fairy tale made us think about simple human truths, about good and evil, sincerity and cruelty, about actions that can sometimes change the fate of people.
One of my favorite books is "A Seagull named Jonathan Livingston" — a story-parable written by Richard Bach. It tells about a seagull who studied life and the art of flight. A seagull named Jonathan Livingston does not want to be content with the simple life of an ordinary seagull, which is subordinated to the simplest needs. Jonathan trains his flying skills, but when faced with the negative reaction of the Pack, he turns into an outcast and becomes a hermit. Despite this, he does not stop training and at a certain point brings the art of flying to such perfection that he finds himself in Heaven, where he finds the same seagulls as him. Here everyone is on the path of self-improvement, and it is in heaven that Jonathan Seagull realizes the opportunities that are truly available to him.
All the books that somehow have sunk into my soul teach me to see happiness in every moment of life, teach me to love and reveal true values."
Irina Polyakova, Head of the Department of Spiritual Culture of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly:
- It is difficult to name the book that made the biggest impression on me as a child, since I always read with pleasure and was delighted with many books, especially with fiction. I remembered, for the rest of my life, the "Hour of the Bull" by Efremov. It has settled in my memory. After reading it at the age of fourteen, I felt that I had grown up dramatically. A new look at life has appeared, a look from above, from the depths of space, the look of a person responsible for his planet. This was probably the moment of transition from childhood to adolescence because the sense of responsibility has become vivid and conscious. Thanks to the book.
I would advise schoolchildren to read fiction. Serious authors. In fiction, humanity's ability to foresee is manifested, so you can find out what the future life may become. But for this, one or two exciting books are not enough. It is necessary to read a lot, different authors, compare, analyze, think a lot and learn to anticipate yourself. Learn to build a life on the experience of previous generations, on their knowledge and mistakes. And, of course, lead your life path confidently and responsibly.
I recommend what I have remembered for a lifetime: "The Hour of the Bull", I. Efremov; "Callisto" G. Martynov; "Magellanic cloud", S. Lem; "Marakot's Abyss" (collection) A. K. Doyle.
Victoria Samartseva