Reading with Dan and Randy
At this year’s 10th annual Read Across America Celebration, guests gathered to support literacy and reflect on the books and stories that shape who we become.
During a thoughtful and engaging fireside conversation, Randy McShepard and Dan Moulthrop shared personal stories about the books that influenced their lives, careers, and perspectives. Their conversation reminded attendees that reading is more than a school skill. Books introduce new ideas, expand understanding, and help people imagine futures beyond what they currently know.
For Randy, that transformation began with the World Book Encyclopedia. Growing up in a single parent household, he found power in being able to look up information, explore topics independently, and learn about the world around him.
“I felt powerful because I could look up a topic and just read it,” McShepard shared during the conversation.
His curiosity about everything from tornadoes to geography sparked a lifelong love of words, reading, and writing that later supported his work in public policy, philanthropy, and leadership.
“Literacy is the key to open so many doors,” said McShepard. “It definitely happened for me and I’ve seen it happen for so many people in our community. That’s why The Literacy Cooperative’s work is so important.”
For Dan, books became a way to better understand people and experiences outside his own. One title in particular, Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History, profoundly changed how he viewed storytelling and human experience.
“It destroyed me, it opened my mind and then it set me on the course of interviewing people,” Moulthrop shared. “which I did in high school, college, and then as a career for a while. And then here we are.”
Their discussion served as a powerful reminder that books can shape identity, inspire empathy, and open entirely new paths in life.
Here are some of the books Dan and Randy’s recommended during the evening.
Randy McShepard’s Reading Recommendations
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
Randy described this influential book about power, government, infrastructure, and public policy as one that “blew my mind.” He reflected on how its themes around leadership, community development, and inequity remain deeply relevant today.
The World Book Encyclopedia by World Book
The most influential reading experience of his childhood. He shared how reading encyclopedias helped him feel knowledgeable, curious, and confident as a young reader.
1984 by George Orwell
One of the short and impactful books he plans to hurry and read.
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Randy referenced Simon Sinek’s story “The Ceramic Cup,” which he shares with leadership groups and executive teams as a lesson in humility, service, and leadership.
“The moral of the story is: don’t get so caught up in the role,” McShepard explained.
Dan Moulthrop’s Reading Recommendations
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Dan recently reread the novel and reflected on its emotional weight and portrayal of human experience during times of war.
Pet of the Met by Don Freeman
A lesser known children’s book by the creator of Corduroy. Dan described it as a charming story about a mouse living inside the Metropolitan Opera House.
Johnny Tremain by Ester Freeman
One of the first books Dan reread as a child. He described it as a formative reading experience that deepened his love for storytelling and history.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A novel Dan revisited many times and later taught in the classroom, complete with years of notes still tucked inside the pages.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Dan called this “the greatest book in the United States,” encouraging everyone who has not read it to do so.
Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History by Wallace Terry
The oral history collection that Dan said changed his life and inspired his own path in interviewing and journalism.
Howl by Allen Ginsberg
Dan shared his admiration for Allen Ginsberg’s poetry and the impact the collection had on him during college.
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
A novel Dan described as weird and transformative because it challenged his entire understanding of what a novel could be.
