Why books?

So why do we read books? Sure, they are entertaining, and we learn from them, yet are they not somehow obsolete now? With television, films, and all those magical ways we can share ideas, yet books are still a staple. There is something magical about books. As we read and absorb the words, the world around melts away and we are suddenly living in someone else’s reality. Escaping into a world unlike our own is more than an entertaining experience, but it can be argued that it teaches us to better understand the experiences of others. To be more empathetic and open-minded toward those who make choices we either would not or could not. It is a chance to experience answers to “what if”. And it is fascinating. Plus, the book is always better.

I recently did my academic work on exploring fiction as a rhetorical act, that there are messages about society lurking in the pages. Sometimes they can be a little more difficult to see without knowing how and where to look. I personally believe, reading novels that make us slightly uncomfortable can help us to be more comfortable in the real world. Or perhaps show us where our own boundaries and flaws lie. These are just my own theories of course, but these are often my justifications when it comes to the subject of book banning. It is not merely an issue of freedom of speech, but one of normalizing certain things that happen in society. For example, the book “Are You There God, It’s Me Magaret?”. This novel was banned because it is a book about girls getting their periods, which is something that every girl transitioning into womanhood experiences, and often feel shame about. If we allow discussion, perhaps it will take away the shame of a biological aspect of being a woman? Shrug.

The point, books are important. They are more than words on a page. They are experiences waiting to be cracked open.