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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