←Recommendations of Twelve Books

An absolutely perfect play about the power of books to connect us, to take us to other places, to help us escape, and to help us land exactly where we are supposed to be. A masterful piece of writing by playwright Philip Middleton Williams, who writes with such empathy for his characters. I teared up several times. You'll be looking at your bookshelf in a different way after reading this and making your own set of favorite books to pass on. Thank you for giving the world this beautiful play!

Well, this hit a little harder than I thought it would. I have recently had a bit of personal experience along these lines, so I can see how Tim would want this for John. Our need for sharing stories is so ingrained in our psyche. We tell jokes, we pass on anecdotes, we share and borrow books, movies, etc. Philip Middleton Williams creates a warm, nostalgic feel to these characters and truly makes us want to participate in that experience with them. A wonderfully evocative play.

It doesn’t surprise me that a collection of books would be at the heart of a shared remembrance between father and son as told by Philip Middleton Williams. Just read any of his works and the love of reading shines through. Writing like this doesn’t happen by accident. A beautiful story that in other hands could easily become cliche, instead is comforting and fresh. A pleasure to read.

A tale of a father-son relationship, of a connection lost and found, of legacy, and new beginnings using the past - Williams shows family love through the memory of books. The time- tripping is a bonus. The love is real, the bonds are strong and the use of the written word to highlight all rngs loud and clear.

This is a very well done examination of the human need to share stories. Philip Middleton Williams draws an interesting parallel between the frustrated compulsion of trying to share the experience of reading a beloved book series and handing down one’s legacy to their children. Thankfully, it’s not a tearjerker, but a nonetheless moving tale of a man tending to his father’s spirit after his passing.

This is a very moving piece, especially for those who are fans of reversed ages and lives played backward. I particularly liked how Philip Middleton Williams connects the spirit world with the real one. (And this applies not only to books and reality but also to people's reality and the spirit world.)

L'Engle's Time Quintet. The Chronicles of Prydain. The Tripods.
These weren't just novels that shaped my youth, but novel SERIES. The literature of childhood makes an imprint.

TWELVE BOOKS extolls the gift of literary legacy. Williams's choice to manifest the ghostly father at the age when he read these books and the son old enough to have distant memories of them amplifies the resonance of inherited imagination. It's a testament to heirlooms tangible and ethereal.

Sublime and beautiful.

One of the birthrights we inherit from our parents — aside from eye color and mental health — is cultural tastes. In Philip Middleton Williams' poignant two-hander, (late) father and son come to terms with the former's collection of fantasy novels. "Twelve Books" is a short but profoundly moving drama about what we keep, what we let go and what we find for ourselves. In doing so, Philip indulges us with one last fantasy: A conversation with the dearly departed.
This is an exquisite piece.

TWELVE BOOKS is a touching ten-minute two-hander illustrating an “ordinary” dynamic between a grown son and the spirit of his father, packing up the last few of his books. The twist is the father appears as his sixteen-year-old self. Williams has created an intriguing acting challenge for a young performer to embody someone who has lived a full life in this succinct, resonant play!

We are what we read. It's something that's always resonated for me, and I was blessed with parents who encouraged my reading (often books of wonderful, fantastical worlds like the ones John explored). So, this play by Williams definitely resonated with me. It has a wistful sense that permeates it, but what a comfort to find some type of resolution or closure when it seems like there might not be the chance. The ending was just an enriching way to bring a close to this wonderful short story.