James Swan “Jalen “.
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
WordPress Daily Prompt:06/04/25
James Swan “Jalen “.
Daily Prompt: Do You Remember Your Favorite Book from Childhood?
Simple answer? No. And honestly, that’s kind of sad.
I wasn’t read to as a child—no Peter Pan, no Winnie the Pooh. My relationship with books didn’t start in a rocking chair; it started with a struggle. I had trouble reading early on, and it wasn’t until an elderly librarian took notice and quietly taught me how to read that everything shifted. The first book I do remember? The Last of the Mohicans. I was about nine or ten, and it opened a door into the world of early North America, indigenous history, and the vast, often ignored legacy of the people who lived there long before settlers arrived.
That genre followed me for years, shaping how I saw history—not from the perspective of conquerors, but from the lens of those who lost everything. That early reading obsession was probably the closest thing I had to real friends in childhood.
Now, as a retired American artist living in Thailand for 18 years, married to a Thai spouse and helping raise younger Thai children, I find myself teaching them English—not just grammar, but the power of reading. Books are still freedom, especially when your environment doesn’t offer a wide choice. Here, book access is limited and expensive. No dusty 25-cent paperbacks stacked high in old bookstores. Most of my reading is digital now, often about art, artists, and the creative world I work in through JalenWallArt.com.
Life here is a contrast—lush, layered, and complex. I paint that complexity into every piece I create. And maybe through art, books, and teaching, I can pass on something deeper: the idea that language and story are keys to understanding where we come from—and who we might still become.
James Swan “Jalen “.
06/04/25
Bangkok,Thailand.
https:jalenwallart.com