The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Newport, Rhode Island

Summer 1973

I never really liked to read.  Reading was such a struggle for me.  I am dyslexic and I didn’t comprehend what I read.  And what I was reading just didn’t interest me.  Shakespeare, Canterbury tales, Beowulf, Chaucer.  Blah, blah, blah.  I couldn’t relate to any of these books or authors.  I couldn’t see any of these characters.  Who cared about them?

Then I was a senior in high school and for the first time, we were reading modern American literature. And I loved everything I read.  Our Town,  Catcher in the Rye and my favorite,  The Great Gatsby.  This book spoke to me.  And for the first time, I had to admit that I liked to read.  And then I started to read other books on my own time.

My parents were elated. I was finally cracking through my defeating academic behaviors.  They bought me books and magazines.  They encouraged me.  They told me that they were proud of me.  And when I came home with the first edition of People Magazine, which featured a cover story of Mia Farrow as Daisy, my dad’s eyes lit up.  I told him that the movie of The Great Gatsby was being filmed in Rhode Island.  My dad had a conference in Rhode Island and he suggested that I come along so that we could scout out the film location.

The offer of the beach, The Great Gatsby and Robert Redford was just too much.  This was my lucky, lucky moment.  I could hardly wait.

My parents, sister and I packed the car and made the eight hour trip north.  I couldn’t contain myself.  Maybe I could get a small bit part in one of the crowd scenes.  If I did, I would brag about this for the rest of my life.

Knowing how excited I was, my father had us check in to the hotel first.  And then we were off in search of Jay Gatsby’s magnificent mansion.  As we drove up and down streets, looking for the location, I recanted the favorite parts of the novel.  And I retold the story with a conviction that I was enhancing the lives of my fellow passengers.  And they listened with the appearance of appreciation.

We couldn’t find any indication of the movie set.  So we stopped at a diner for a meal somewhere.  The waitress told us that they had wrapped up the filming last week.  She said it was all very exciting.  My parents were so disappointed. While I was disappointed, it wasn’t the end of the world.  For me, the thrill was having the first academic adventure with my parents.  They had validated something important to me and that’s what I remember today.

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