Why We Read

If I'd just seen the main title of Shannon Reed's Why We Read I would not have requested it by inter library loan. It sounded generic, maybe a tad pedantic. The subtitle, however, On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out, totally captivated me. I sensed a kindred spirit. I could imagine a much younger Reed curled up in a sleeping bag reading a Nancy Drew mystery by flashlight at summer camp and was thrilled to discover partway through that she was a fan of the girl sleuth. If reading has been a significant part of your life from when you learned how to decode those mysterious letters you're one of us. But if you're not so hooked on books she has perhaps even more to offer you.
Make no mistake about it. Reed is a woman on a mission. She wants us all to enjoy reading. She has major beef with the folks who turn what should be a pleasure into anything but: educators who choke the life out of required reads with dull, predictable assignments and the book snobs who think only the most elite volumes are worth reading. She wants to counteract their messages that all too many of us have internalized. What you read is good. Why you read it is valid whether it's to feel less alone, to shake up your perspectives, for comfort, to be motivated, to conquer fears… Nothing to be ashamed of folks.
Why We Read is a very intimate volume. Reed candidly shares her experiences from childhood through adulthood: the good, the bad, and the semi ugly. She writes from the perspectives of published author, high school teacher, college professor, and, first and foremost, reader. And she has a wicked sense of humor. My favorite chapters are her lists such as Calmed-Down Classics of American Literature for the Anxiety Ridden and Signs You May Be an Adult Character in a YA Novel.
So who should read this book? I think just about everyone. If you're already a reader you'll see so much of yourself in it. If you aren't how about giving her a chance to win you over? You've got nothing to lose and so much to gain.
On a purrrsonal note when I was accepted to grad school I thought I would have to cut down drastically on my reading and possibly give up my blog. But when I actually started school I couldn't. I read to provide content for my blog, to learn, now and then to feel less lonely, for comfort, to shake up my perspectives, to calm down enough to sleep, and for the pure joy of getting lost in a good book.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow readers, a tribe I'm very proud to be a member of.