1. “Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell<br />On Christmas Eve every year we go to my parents to exchange gifts with our extended family. This year my aunt gave me a 1936 copy of “Gone With the Wind”. During the last year I have been collecting hardback copies of my favorite books. My family knows all about my searches because I go to garage sales, re-sale shops. I have not been buying new books because of the expense and I have fun finding the oldest books I can. As long as the book is in good condition, it does not have to be new to be of value to me. I look for books that I have read, books I would like to read, books my sons would like to read, classics, all genres. It is amazing to me you can find a book for a dollar in great condition at a thrift shop, and then go to the book store and the same book is twelve dollars. When I get a good collection we are going to build my “library” in the den. <br />I read “Gone With the Wind” for the first time in middle school and then every year until I graduated from high school. My whole family knew I really liked it because I read it several times. We rarely bought books because if our household would buy all the books we read there would be no money left! My aunt knew I started buying books for my collection. She remembered my reading this and looked for a copy for Christmas. I was so excited and when I seen the 1936 copyright date, I was ecstatic! Not only did I get a favorite book, but one published the year it was released. She found it at a yard sale for a quarter. I have no idea of its’ value to the world, but it is extremely valuable to me!<br />I have not read this book in almost twenty years, but the feelings and impressions when I think of this book are as strong now as twenty years ago. I have a tremendous respect for Scarlett’s perseverance despite mental and physical obstacles. “Gone With the Wind” is a book written from the perspective of a person who is living with t he destruction of their culture. This book reminds us we can endure tremendous struggle and still prevail.<br />