On December 10, 1950, William Faulkner gave his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Today his speech is considered one of the most brilliant and inspiring speeches ever read at the Nobel ceremony. Faulkner emphasized the "writer's duty" to write only about "the old truths and truths of the heart." He talked about avoiding writing anything that isn't worth writing about. He felt concerned about new writing where authors gave in to America's superficial desires to read "not with love but with lust, about defeats in which no one loses anything of value, about victories without hope, and, worst of all, without pity or compassion.” Faulkner wanted his optimistic views on life to be reflected in all his writings and that the optimism contained in "courage, honor, hope, pride, compassion and pity" could help the human spirit to to conquer and become something more than before. Why is today's writing so lacking in the substance that Faulkner speaks of? Is it the desire of the American population for inaccessible fantasies? Among the thousands of books that lack truth and are ready to be temporarily "exploded", some books fulfill many of Faulkner's wishes - one such book is Russell Baker's Growing Up. Somewhere between truthful descriptions of people, honest opinions about work and adulthood, and the pressure to "make something of yourself," Russell Baker fills in many of the potholes left by much of writing today. A child's voice is the human voice. the spirit that Faulkner hopes to capture in modern writing. Innocence creates depth and reminds the reader of themselves. After seeing his father in a car, about to go to the hospital, Russell describes his father as "...wearing his blue serge suit, white shirt and tie, and [he] looked fine to me." This captures the innocence that Faulkner wishes to see more of. His description is so unconscious and truthful that it seems like the reader could have said it when he was younger. The description is frank, not metaphorical, complex or insightful. The idea is left to the reader. The quote is also emotional because it does not glorify his father or himself. Unlike many readers who embellish their stories, making their family members (and especially themselves) look better, Baker allows himself to be judged as immature and treats a serious situation (his father's illness) as if it were didn't matter..