James and Dark Rain Thom Visit MHS

The English 11 Honors class invited Indiana authors James and Dark Rain Thom to Monrovia High School. The program was hosted by Mrs. Phillips. The Thoms met with students Monday and talked about a variety of topics before answering questions.
Mr. Thom spoke first, explaining a creation story where man "passed through a curtain of foliage" and could no longer be a simple animal once he began to think. He went on to talk about leaving the Indianapolis Star in 1967 to start writing novels. Mr. Thom lived on a boat in Florida for a time. He spoke at length of the importance of keeping a balance in life. Mr. Thom encouraged our students to be educated to live rather than to be educated to make a living.
Mrs. Thom began by explaining the early differences between "Indian life" and "American life." As a Shawnee, Dark Rain grew up in Indian culture. She presented the creation story where "He Who Creates by Thinking" made humans guardians of the land. Mrs. Thom talked about surviving in the natural world and learning to get along with only the things we need.
The Thoms closed their presentation to our students by urging them to find chances to inspire others. Mr. Thom said that the greatest gift an author can receive is a reader's confirmation that a book has changed his or her life. Find out more about the Thoms at jamesalexanderthom.com