There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but . . . how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?
My very dear friend is a voracious reader. She inspires me. She devours quantities of books, and she slogs through books that I would toss onto the floor without compunction. Her incisive mind dissects the books, sees symbolism where my poor brain sees none, understands allusions, ferrets out abstruse meanings and gets enormous information and entertainment in everything. Sound familiar? She should; she's TeaBird. I admire TeaBird extravagantly.
Janet reads a lot too, as befits a librarian. She's plenty sharp, too. I admire her madly for managing her household, extended-family duties, her job and her personal pursuits which include reading. I couldn't do it.
My family? I really don't know because we are not in close contact. But we all read a lot during childhood. I was the only one Mom called a "bookaholic," but we all read, and I was not the only one who read the dictionary for sport.
I recall afternoons spent in a friend's room with an old appliance box full of comic books. We'd pull and read one after another, pausing to read aloud bits and to swap good comic books. This friend and I read science fiction in those days, and we'd trade paperbacks, too. Whatever we read we also discussed every which way. We were schoolgirls then, and - - alas! - - my friend reads no more. I have fond memories of reading with her, and I wish she read still.
(submitted by Moon Rani)
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2 comments:
I meant to comment on this earlier.
I feel fortunate to always have been surrounded by hungry readers with hearty appetites.
I only know of a few people in my family and friends who are not readers and one of those said people came to visit me last year and told me "That I have too many books and my life would be less cluttered if I threw away all these books"! She has never returned to my home after that and I really don't miss her either but, I would have to say she is one of the 1 in 4 Americans the article is talking about and I have such pity for those people.
They are the ones that will not survive a crisis well and in today’s world.... well there is a crisis everyday somewhere, so if you add up all the "1's" in the American population that equals a LOT of freaked out people who can not cope well when trouble comes there way.
...and if everyone in America took up knitting too well just think how much more peaceful the world would be.
Well, that is my thought on the topic, sorry it was so long. :)
I like your thoughtful comments. There isn't a comment (nor a letter) written which is too long for me.
I knew a lot of non-readers in my last place of residence. When I mentioned a book I read they would say things such as, "Oh, I never have time to read. You're so lucky!" and, "It must be nice to have so much free time that you can sit around reading." Isn't funny ho non-readers manage to get in their digs at us?
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