[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 119 (Monday, July 21, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF RACHEL FINKBEINER OF RAMSEY, MINNESOTA, ONE OF THIS YEAR'S 
                   LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE AWARDEES

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                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 21, 2008

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Miss 
Rachel Finkbeiner, a high school student from Ramsey, Minnesota, who 
has been recognized as a statewide winner in the Library of Congress' 
2008 Letters About Literature competition.
  Letters About Literature is a reading and writing program sponsored 
by the Library of Congress Center for the Book in partnership with 
Target Stores. It challenges young readers to write a personal letter 
to an author detailing how that author's work changed the reader's view 
of the world or view of him or herself. More than 59,000 children in 
grades 4 through 12 participated this year and only 150 were recognized 
as leaders on the state or national level.
  Rachel wrote to noted American author F. Scott Fitzgerald about her 
experience in reading The Great Gatsby. A tenth-grader at Elk River 
High School, Rachel showed a great maturity in her writing. As she says 
in her letter:
       Reading The Great Gatsby opened my eyes on what wealth 
     really is. Even though rich people might see the scratches on 
     their Porsche convertibles, and the flaws in their fancy 
     hotels in Mexico, they seem to miss the real joy of living.
       Money was the one thing I wanted in my perfect life. After 
     reading The Great Gatsby, my view of perfect life has 
     changed. My dream life would be having a loving family, being 
     thankful I get to watch a T.V. show on a scratchy black and 
     white television, being relieved of living right above my 
     store without the stress of commuting to work and able to 
     look forward to a sunny day tomorrow so I could dry my 
     laundry outside. While I may never know what the perfect life 
     really is, I'd like to thank you Mr. Fitzgerald for showing 
     me that in my perfect life--money should come last.
  Rachel is one of Elk River's star volleyball players and clearly has 
a strong academic career ahead of her as well. We in Minnesota's Sixth 
District are proud of her accomplishments and look forward to many 
great things from Rachel in years to come.

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