Thursday Thirteen – 13 Books I Read in the 1950s

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Someone asked me recently about books I’d enjoyed when growing up in the 1950s.  I thought back to what was available and what I enjoyed reading.  The list would be different for everyone as a student then, but there would be some similarities.  I’ve tried to list them in a sequence that reflects my reading as I grew older.

1. Nancy Drew books of any kind.  I devoured these.
2. Heidi
3. Little Women.  I recall doing a book report on this book in 8^th grade when I had to memorize a dialogue between Jo and Meg.
4. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
5. Pollyanna
6. Anne of Green Gables.  This was one of my all time favorites.  Then I went on to enjoy the series.
7. Cherry Ames, nurse. She became involved in exciting adventures and mysteries.
8. Sue Barton, nurse.  With reading these popular series, you’d think I wanted to be a nurse, but I ended up receiving a teaching degree.
9. Emily Loring books.  She was an author who wrote mystery and romance, the Harlequin books of that day.  (My aunt introduced me to these books.)
10. Gone With the Wind became a favorite after I saw a re-release of the movie.
11. Ivanhoe, which we had to read in school.
12. Frank Yerby books of history, romance and adventure. (Another aunt enjoyed Yerby’s books.)
13. Alexander Dumas books

Since my early childhood was in the 40s, I haven’t listed any picture books above.  I’ll mention those in another post.

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©2008 Mary Emma Allen