How to Read
As I entered the dimly lit room, I notice my wife lying on the sofa, reading a book under the soft glow of the piano light. It was just after Christmas and she had settled in to enjoy a novel that she had received as a present. I was a little surprised when I noticed that she only had a few dozen pages remaining because we were still in the middle of the Christmas break; I don't even think we had come to New Year's Eve. I chose to express this surprise by saying, "Have you read that whole book?" To which she coyly replied, "I know how to read."
We've returned to that little dialogue, especially when one of us is very near the end of almost any written work. Because our family loves to read, this happens more often than you might think. With all our reading I have noticed that my time in university and law school tended to turn me into somewhat of a literature snob. I came to opine that any piece of literature that was adored by the general public had to be simplistic or banal and certainly not worth my time and effort. I would find intellectual satisfaction with my regular diet of scientific non-fiction and sophisticated fiction.
When I found myself with my sister-in-law in an airport lobby waiting for a nephew to return from a prolonged trip, she suggested that I look at this new book called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I sat there on an uncomfortable plastic airport chair across from Gate 11 and read the first three pages. It was such a silly book and it really had no point. There was a family who thought they were the ideal, but that might be because of all the crazy-dressed people who were suddenly surrounding their neighborhood and even a newspaper reading cat. It didn't take long for me to conclude that this was not going to be any Don Quijote. So I set the book aside and visited with my family until my nephew arrived and then I returned the book indicating that when I finished my current list of books to read, maybe I'd get around to it.
As the interest and excitement about Harry Potter grew and it became clear that this was going to become a multi-million dollar franchise my belief about its bourgeois status was repeatedly confirmed. Every time I saw a passenger on the bus or train with the latest edition, you'd find me rolling my eyes and affirming my superior choice in reading. Much to my surprise, one day I found my wife reading "Harry Potter" and telling me how wonderful a story it was and praising its infectious writing quality. My wife has regularly found authors whose writing thrills and inspires me, so I didn't even pause before I knew I was wrong.
Seven books later, I realized that I didn't know how to read.
We've returned to that little dialogue, especially when one of us is very near the end of almost any written work. Because our family loves to read, this happens more often than you might think. With all our reading I have noticed that my time in university and law school tended to turn me into somewhat of a literature snob. I came to opine that any piece of literature that was adored by the general public had to be simplistic or banal and certainly not worth my time and effort. I would find intellectual satisfaction with my regular diet of scientific non-fiction and sophisticated fiction.When I found myself with my sister-in-law in an airport lobby waiting for a nephew to return from a prolonged trip, she suggested that I look at this new book called "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." I sat there on an uncomfortable plastic airport chair across from Gate 11 and read the first three pages. It was such a silly book and it really had no point. There was a family who thought they were the ideal, but that might be because of all the crazy-dressed people who were suddenly surrounding their neighborhood and even a newspaper reading cat. It didn't take long for me to conclude that this was not going to be any Don Quijote. So I set the book aside and visited with my family until my nephew arrived and then I returned the book indicating that when I finished my current list of books to read, maybe I'd get around to it.
As the interest and excitement about Harry Potter grew and it became clear that this was going to become a multi-million dollar franchise my belief about its bourgeois status was repeatedly confirmed. Every time I saw a passenger on the bus or train with the latest edition, you'd find me rolling my eyes and affirming my superior choice in reading. Much to my surprise, one day I found my wife reading "Harry Potter" and telling me how wonderful a story it was and praising its infectious writing quality. My wife has regularly found authors whose writing thrills and inspires me, so I didn't even pause before I knew I was wrong.Seven books later, I realized that I didn't know how to read.
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