May 3, 2017
Written by Katie Kuhn, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
Through the “Magic of Storytelling” campaign, WISN 12 and United Way partnered to provide 14,000 brand-new books to six area organizations and four local schools across our region. On April 26, WISN 12 anchors Adrienne Pedersen and Sheldon Dutes attended the distribution event at COA Youth and Family Centers in Milwaukee to read stories with the kids.
After this fun event, we asked Sheldon and Adrienne about their relationship with reading:
Why is reading important to you?
Adrienne: Reading is a great escape. It’s fun to be immersed in a book and lose track of your surroundings. It’s also an amazing learning tool. I’ve learned something from every single book I’ve ever read, even the ones I didn’t like.
Sheldon: I’ve learned and grown so much from the books I’ve read. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, I’m fascinated by an author’s ability to teach me new ideas or transport me to another era or country.
Is there a character in a book you identified with growing up?
Sheldon: Willie from “Willie’s Not the Hugging Kind” by Joyce Durham Barrett. Although I couldn’t fully identify with the book’s namesake, it was the first time I can remember seeing a character in a picture book whose family looked like mine and that resonated with me.
Adrienne: Phoebe from Catcher in the Rye. She’s Holden’s little sister and full of innocence. Phoebe has a special relationship with her brother. I have two older brothers and they were very protective just like Holden. I felt the connection right away!
Who was your favorite teacher?
Adrienne: My favorite teacher was someone I never had in the classroom. Ms. Vollbrecht was my high school speech team coach. She pushed me to be my best and always saw my potential. She truly cared about her students. Ms. V ignited my love for speaking and that’s one of the reasons I’m a broadcast journalist.
Sheldon: I was fortunate enough to have a number of incredible teachers from pre-school through college, but my high school English teacher Mr. Wilson helped me grow as a writer and introduced me to so many classic books and stories.
What was your favorite subject in school?
Sheldon: I thought I wanted to be a doctor and was genuinely enthralled with my Biology and Anatomy classes, but I had a natural knack for English and always enjoyed the discussions.
Adrienne: My favorite subject in school has always been English. I love reading, writing, and communicating. I miss reading a book and then discussing it in class. It’s interesting listening to how other people who read the same book interpret it differently. In college I minored in English Literature just to have an excuse to load up on lit classes.
Any book recommendations?
Adrienne: I just finished Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. As a young woman in a competitive career, it really spoke to me. I like reading books by successful people and learning from their paths. It’s also comforting to see that as humans we’re all pretty similar. I love learning that I’m not that different from someone like Sheryl as I would’ve thought.
Sheldon: “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Unaccustomed Earth” & “The Lowland” both by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Feeling inspired? Volunteer to help local kids pick out books to build their very own library May 24 in Milwaukee and June 1 in Waukesha.