Between classes the other day I was clicking through the news online and was shocked to find that one of my favorite authors, Robert B. Parker, had passed away at 77 years old. I had never really thought much about the possibility of him dying, and I realized just how much died with him – all the characters, all the details of Boston, and the clever wit that sewed it all together. It was quite a shock to take in two or three minutes before a student arrived in my classroom.
As I read more news about his passing, it turns out that there are several novels due to be published, so there will be a few more books to satisfy my craving. Actually, I’ve fallen a little behind in reading his books, so if I take it slowly I can probably make it last five years or so before I run out of his material.
There are many exceptionally well written tributes to Mr. Parker all over the web, and I won’t add mine here, but his writing style made a profound impact on me. Anytime I opened one of his books it felt like a I was entering a world that I left behind for a while and was waiting patiently for my return. He will be missed.
