Dave, I was given a copy of The Little Prince as a child (and later read it in the French). It is indeed timeless. I also love J.K. Rowling's books. Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Love Story--not so much.

You are not the only one who didn't watch the memorial service. To be honest, I can't tell you the last time I did watch something on TV. I am familiar with The Little Prince, though!

I'm afraid I've joined the generation wondering, too, about today's heroes. The Little Prince (my husband had our wedding band made with a hill and a star) represents to me the simplest and purest love--the kind that doesn't quit when things get thorny.

The Little Prince is as much a story for children as it is for adults. Classic masterpieces like Exupery's should be required reading in school! It should have not be a "generational" read. I grew up in Europe where books like Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, The Catcher in the Rye are required reads and most children and teens are familiar with them, regardless of the year of their birth..."The generational gap" is a poor excuse for not reading the essentials. I feel a pang of disappointment every time I meet a kid--or an adult for that matter--in the States who has not read The Brothers Grim or Hans Christian Andersen or their only frame of reference is a Disney movie! Sad, indeed.

Or, to quote Harry Potter:

"I love magic!"

I think the Little Prince rises far above the level of a Michael J- and I think you can tell why I think so from the following, which I sent around as the circus developed.

Media covers the reality it wants to- most media coverage and official pronouncements are differing forms of spin. The coverage of Jackson reveals the society's values- by and large tabloid values- values of money, or bizarre behavior, or stardom in one form or another.

Yes, Jackson was a talented icon of pop music, but an icon of America?

To me an icon worth of such coverage might be a Martin Luther King, a Father Dan Berrigan who is now quite old. Do you think he will get any coverage when he dies? And yet he has done more for peace in the country than Pres. Obama.

I saw not one article on who wrote MJ's wonderful music. Was it him? The "We are the world" was a helpful and hopeful song.

I'm trying to remember the Little Prince message. If it is "to see with the heart", what would you see in M Jackson?

It would take a poet or novelist to say- not journalists in this addled society. And whoever revealed him, he or she would have to be honest about the negatives.

Lese die Interpretation vom "kleinen Prinzen" und du wirst feststellen, wieviel weise Botschaft daraus zu entnehmen ist!!

Here's the babelfish translation (you get the idea): The interpretation reads of " small Prinzen" and you will determine, how much wise message is to be inferred from it!! -- Dave

I'd like to give you some words of encouragement on the state of reading in today's world. I gave my grandson (age 10) a copy of Exupery's The Little Prince for Christmas last year. Although he is an avid reader, his taste runs to sci-fi and fantasy. He lives and breathes Bionicles, Star Wars and the Legend of Zelda and he liked the YP Robert Heinlein books. Two weeks ago, when he came down for dinner, he was all excited about a book he had just read. You guessed it, he had finally got around to reading the book and loved it. Now, my daughter, a non-reader, is reading it. This predates the mega funeral (which I avoided at all costs).

I believe the lesson is, if you give someone the opportunity you may well be surprised at the eventual (and I stress eventual) outcome.

Further thoughts on Michael Jackson-

is the tragic part- same w Elvis Presley- that they cannot reflect upon themselves and realize how great they are-then devolope that further?

If they did- they would surely fire their managers and take better drugs!!

Does a truly great artist somehow have to carry it thru to the end? Think of King Lear or Yeats- the artist in old age?

But then there is a Dylan Thomas- like Jackson- another burn out. All I'm saying is that we do not get much analysis of depth on these issues, do we?

For example- is the unconscious flame out more vivid that the long slog to old age?

i'm baaack- w further thots on michael- having seen the revealing interviews by mr. ? (martin bashir?)- looks sort of middle eastern? in las vegas, miami- shows mj to b:

verrry strange...one has to wonder about his upbringing- what w his brothers having sex in their same bed w their dates

his brutality towards his own children- having them masked- his total denial of the changes to his own face!

i caught none of these negatives in the coverage of his death

his kitschy tastes- buying what to me wld b hideous persian urns that cost thousands- the utter disregard for proportion- for ethics - for poverty

at the same time- he seems so fragile, so sort of tender- i feel who gives a damn abt his sexual preferences- also when he dances there is a spark- and he seems good on the creative process- trying to answer the pedestrian mr bashir

i ended up just feeling, as i usually do- angry at a society that would foster and destroy such a person

i give credit to bashir for asking tough questions

MJ RIP (it's amazing he made it as long as he did and he deserved every drug he had to take- he needed them)