Considering her master's degree in history (with an emphasis on American colonial history) you might expect that Utah legislator Afton Bradshaw would be intrigued with anything that examines the topic. She is. "History is my passion."
Currently, she is reading the John Adams retrospective by Davis McCullough. A few years ago, she enjoyed McCullough's recounting of "Truman."
An 18-year veteran of Utah's House, she said it was probably her interest in history and books related to history that sparked her interest in politics. A Republican, she represents Salt Lake's District 28.
"When I want a break, I read John Grisham," she said. She has found his latest, "A Painted House," interesting but lacking the suspense that keeps many Americans faithfully following Grisham's output. "A Painted House" is more biographical, she said.
"When you're a legislator, you read every day," Bradshaw said, and while it isn't the sort of reading she prefers in her leisure moments, it's all part of the same fascination with the printed word.
Her three children "loved everything," she said. "All three of them still love to read." All three are lawyers.
"There is no greater pleasure. It's one of the things that I intend to do more of when I retire." That eventuality is coming up fast. She will not run for the Utah House again this fall. That means more time for uninterrupted reading and some more college classes. History, of course.
"I want to take take Dr. Larry Gerlach's class on the Olympics." And anything else that hints of history, she added.
E-MAIL: tvanleer@desnews.com