This month, my library, the Jenks Library, celebrates its 50th anniversary in its current location. To prepare for the festivities, my team and I have been researching all things 1970’s, which of course includes the books published in that decade. Whether you lived through that era or not, looking back on what was new then and has now become part of our popular culture is a real blast. I love a good trip down nostalgia lane and seeing someone’s face light up when they recognize something that brings back fond memories from their adolescence.
As part of our celebration, Jenks alum and best-selling author Lisa Wingate came for a visit. Though the layout of the inside has changed, the footprint of the building itself was familiar to her. She shared a memory from her school days when author Wilson Rawles came to talk about his book “Where the Red Fern Grows,” which was adapted into a movie being filmed in the area.
One of Lisa’s classmates was playing the older sister of the main character. Lisa had already started creating her own stories, but his visit was when she realized for the first time that writers were actual people you could meet. This formative memory stuck with her and became something that further motivated her down the path of what became her future career.
Though “Where the Red Fern Grows” was published in the 60’s, the release of the movie in the 70’s is the perfect example of ways the source material can resurface. The movie “Jaws” has also celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Many people don’t know it was first a book published in 1974. Stephen King emerged in the 70’s with “Carrie,” “The Stand,” and “The Shining.” Toni Morrison published her first book “The Bluest Eye.” Anne Rice started her vampire series with “Interview with a Vampire” in 1976.
I could keep listing titles, but where’s the fun in that? Experience your own blast from the past with your own search, whether from the 70’s or whichever decade you grew up in. Enjoy the trip!
