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I am thankful for…books! But I’m afraid that…
By KWiz | April 16, 2007
In my Friday Favorites for the week ending April 6th, I committed to posting that for which I am thankful in response to a post written by Ang at Ang4Him. Unfortunately, last week I felt compelled to write about some different things, yet, I continually thought about what I was grateful for. S
o I begin today. What am I thankful for?
As the title of this post indicates, I am thankful for books!
You might say, “That’s corny.” In a way, it may seem to be, considering we spend so much time these days on the internet conducting business, sending emails, blogging, participating in virtual life, instant messaging…
And if you have a Blackberry (I don’t), how much time do you spend with that? I’ve heard news reports of Blackberry addiction, addiction which psychologists deem must be treated!
What about iPods? Are you addicted to yours? (I don’t have one of those either, but I anticipate having one someday.)
In fact, a poll reported on at TechDirt in Dec. 2005 reveals,
“Americans are showing “early signs of addiction” to their gadgets. It says about half of computer and mobile phones say they can’t imagine life without the devices, while 40 percent of broadband users say the same about it — signs that people ‘are getting hooked” on new technologies.’”
Now, I’m not coming down on anyone who uses technology on a regular basis. I happen to love blogging, I use the internet often for my work on many days, and of course, email is a necessity. Nevertheless, I can’t help but to think how much of my use of technology takes up the time I used to spend doing something that really stimulates my mind – READING BOOKS! I’m thankful for books, but I’m afraid that we don’t spend the time reading literature that we ought.
Laura at WritingThoughts talks about this issue in her post “Where Have All the Readers Gone?” She discovered that in a 2004 study,
“…fewer and fewer [of] us are reading literature — a trend that the study predicts will continue. (I realize that this is a somewhat old study. I searched and searched for a newer one, but did not find one. If you know of one, let me know.)
“So, why is it important to care if our culture has stopped reading? Not only do I think that the best writers are readers, but I also think that reading good literature causes us to share ideas, thoughts, and feelings. It is a sharing that can cross boundaries of time, space, and culture.”
I so agree with Laura. Ideas arise out of literature that we sometimes cannot express on our own. Emotions we may feel ill-at-ease about communicating can erupt out of the pages of an intense novel in which we can discuss characters without necessarily disclosing all about ourselves. Maybe we can see more of our good qualities in a character (or maybe those with which we are challenged) we may not otherwise see if we hadn’t read a book. We may attain a sense of empowerment reading about an antagonist’s struggles. We can experience all of this, I believe, and more by reading books (I’m not even talking about self-help books here, as Laura herself attests).
Moreover, I believe reading books early and continuing that practice throughout one’s lifetime is directly related to the ability to think critically and creatively. Reading books allows us to enter in, ask questions, devise solutions, laugh, cry, get angry, be joyful, for that which comprises the narrative within. How do we learn how to ask questions and present solutions to problems in our world if we don’t take the opportunity to learn how to do it in the context of reading a book? As a teacher, I see this phenomenon each year, where students don’t know how to dissect passages, understand issues, or even write grammatically correct sentences and put together coherent paragraphs. Is this a function of education? Yes, possibly. However, when I ask my students what types of activities they engage in outside of school, the answers are Facebook, listening to their iPod, instant-messaging, or playing videogames. Rarely do I hear that students read books for pleasure. And unfortunately, I see the results. Students don’t know how to write well. They don’t know how to think clearly. They aren’t confident asking questions of texts. They are afraid of being “wrong.” And what that results in is a student needing their hands held more often than not. It bugs me.
So I’m thankful for books! They take me to other worlds. They help me see life from another’s point of view. They teach me to see that I am blessed in my own life. They help me to think.
So what books have I read lately? As a teacher grading papers, tests, and preparing for class each day, as a mother with an almost 3-year old, as well as a husband involved in great projects I’m helping him to implement, it’s a little difficult to carve out the time. But I feel awful when I don’t read! Nevertheless, this past year, I’ve read The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (much better than the movie!), The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. All of these are great books, and I highly recommend them all. On tap this summer is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Dreaming Me: From Baptist to Buddhist, One Woman’s Spiritual Journey by Jan Willis, and Beloved by Toni Morrison. I’m also going to attempt to finish The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I’m excited about having a little more time during the summer to read a little more (although it’s sometimes difficult with a toddler to entertain!). I’m excited about the newness I’ll discover!
So Ang at Ang4Him, I’m thankful for books! I hope and pray that with our increased use of technology we don’t forget the gifts that exist within the pages of a good piece of literature.
Because if we don’t read, where will we get our ideas about which to blog anyway?
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Topics: Learning/Education, Personal Development, Spiritual Growth | 6 Comments »
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April 16th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
What a beautiful contribution to the conversation and in support of reading.
I can’t imagine life without reading (and yes, I’m partial to the “old-fashioned” paper type of books that allow you to curl up on a couch or bed and read for hours).
Thanks for referencing my post!
(Is this the first time you’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or is this a reread?)
April 16th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
As Ray Bradbury said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture.
Just get people to stop reading them.” Bleak, yes; but I’ve found that exposure to literature has opened my mind to so many new ideas and experiences that I never would have considered otherwise. I wish everyone could realize the value of it.
And btw, ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ is one of my favorites also.
April 16th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
[...] Kasumi Tenou wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIn my Friday Favorites for the week ending April 6th, I committed to posting that for which I am thankful in response to a post written by Ang at Ang4Him. Unfortunately, last week I felt compelled to write about some different things, … [...]
April 16th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Hi Laura,
Thank you for your kind encouragement (I’m running out of ways to say this!). And yes, this is actually the first time I’ll be reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Seems kind of strange. Yet, I want to read it for two reasons. First, I want to read material that will help develop my imagination. Second, I want my daughter to read at some point down the line.
April 16th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Hi Krristabelle,
Thank you for visiting my blog. Please come back and let me know when you’re up and running.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:13 am
KWiz,
If this is the first time you’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, then you’re in for a treat. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite all-time authors.