Anne Doaks Dillard

Anne Dillard—Anne Doaks throughout the book—is the author of this book which recalls her childhood from the time she was five until she finished high school and became an adult. Anne was a curious young girl, interested in nearly everything. She checked out library books on almost any subject and was able to get excited by what others might consider mundane and boring. For example, one of her favorite books was a field guide to ponds and streams; she checked out the book again and again and read it over as if it were a favorite novel. Other interests she entertained, at least temporarily, were rock collecting, forensics, drawing, and studying insects. As she grew older, her intellectual interests became more serious. Anne depicts this by contrasting her interest in the French-Indian War as a young girl and her interest in World...