The Answer to Why We Read/ author of In Blackness
I know it’s not just me who has figured that reading is absolutely archaic. I mean I love doing it, but it’s archaic. We still consider people who read smarter than someone who doesn’t read. Is that really true? Do we really think the romance novel with the guy with the glistening pectorals is making those who read it smarter or better? Well, I’m not going to speak to smarter, but I will ask the question again. Why do we still read?
What is it that makes us want to make words into pictures rather than just look directly at the pictures? In today’s world we have 3-D, high-definition, streaming, cartoons; reality TV and so on and so on. We have documentaries, hell, claymation, whatever it is, it’s easier than reading a book.
For me to read, I have to clear my plate of almost everything. I work about forty hours a week, something like that. I have a pretty significant other and I like to at least pretend I write novels. I’ll admit it—I make time to read. I’ll read wherever, in line at the super market, on the toilet, driving (if no one’s looking), on lunch break. I even read in theaters while waiting for my movie to start. I love reading.
Doesn’t answer the question though.
Speaking of movies, we seem to think that plenty of books would make a better movie or at least we find that the movie makes more money on the story based on the book. What do you think sells better a $5.99 book or a $14 movie ticket? I’ll give you one guess. I’ll just say that by the reported numbers, I’d say it’s a nod towards watching rather than reading. Still, no one is saying we don’t watch movies because we surely do. However, we read too.
Let me tell you why we read. You don’t have to agree with me, and you probably won’t but I’ll tell you why we read anyway. Because deep down, generally speaking, at least a large number of us have an urge to work out a muscle that can only be worked out by reading.
Whenever someone says something blasphemously idiotic like, “I didn’t read the book but I saw the movie,” I cringe in disappointment and want to spit. Reading a book means you’re relating to the author and his/her voice and then creating a place that is solely yours in your head. A good book doesn’t just move across your eyes like an action movie; it resonates through your body. Now I’ll concede I’d rather watch a bad movie than read a bad book, but many times an amazing book is a so-so movie, by no fault of the director, actors or producers. It just doesn’t have all the elements.
Do me a favor and nod to yourself if you’ve ever read such a great line that you kept reading it over and over. Then you stopped reading just to take it all in. Nod to yourself right now if you’ve ever read such a powerful book that you just knew that it was written for you personally.
Yeah, reading is like the Force and it’s strong in this one here. Nod if you got it in you, deeply, like you seriously don’t know what you’re going to do without books, because for some reason, after reading a good book, you just know you have a place in the world, because you feel like you understand something, like those vampires have somehow taught you life lessons, as if everything makes sense and you’re in line to further your understanding by telling…somebody, anybody about how Jorge Lazer was in space saving the world. No, he was really in space!
You guys might not know this, but now you will—the mere fact that we have to try harder to process the happenings in a book, means we are closer to those events. Reading is simply not the same as watching a picture go by on a screen. It’s harder, and this difficulty brings us closer to the events and emotions involved much of the time. This is why we still read—the inert drive to further our creativity and therefore our empathy for the world around us as we become closer even to places we may never see.
Reading may be archaic but it’s also human. And those people who don’t read, they don’t need to, but they want to, and wish they would.
U.L. Harper is the author of The Flesh Statue, Guidelines for Rejects and In Blackness
What is it that makes us want to make words into pictures rather than just look directly at the pictures? In today’s world we have 3-D, high-definition, streaming, cartoons; reality TV and so on and so on. We have documentaries, hell, claymation, whatever it is, it’s easier than reading a book.
For me to read, I have to clear my plate of almost everything. I work about forty hours a week, something like that. I have a pretty significant other and I like to at least pretend I write novels. I’ll admit it—I make time to read. I’ll read wherever, in line at the super market, on the toilet, driving (if no one’s looking), on lunch break. I even read in theaters while waiting for my movie to start. I love reading.
Doesn’t answer the question though.
Speaking of movies, we seem to think that plenty of books would make a better movie or at least we find that the movie makes more money on the story based on the book. What do you think sells better a $5.99 book or a $14 movie ticket? I’ll give you one guess. I’ll just say that by the reported numbers, I’d say it’s a nod towards watching rather than reading. Still, no one is saying we don’t watch movies because we surely do. However, we read too.
Let me tell you why we read. You don’t have to agree with me, and you probably won’t but I’ll tell you why we read anyway. Because deep down, generally speaking, at least a large number of us have an urge to work out a muscle that can only be worked out by reading.
Whenever someone says something blasphemously idiotic like, “I didn’t read the book but I saw the movie,” I cringe in disappointment and want to spit. Reading a book means you’re relating to the author and his/her voice and then creating a place that is solely yours in your head. A good book doesn’t just move across your eyes like an action movie; it resonates through your body. Now I’ll concede I’d rather watch a bad movie than read a bad book, but many times an amazing book is a so-so movie, by no fault of the director, actors or producers. It just doesn’t have all the elements.
Do me a favor and nod to yourself if you’ve ever read such a great line that you kept reading it over and over. Then you stopped reading just to take it all in. Nod to yourself right now if you’ve ever read such a powerful book that you just knew that it was written for you personally.
Yeah, reading is like the Force and it’s strong in this one here. Nod if you got it in you, deeply, like you seriously don’t know what you’re going to do without books, because for some reason, after reading a good book, you just know you have a place in the world, because you feel like you understand something, like those vampires have somehow taught you life lessons, as if everything makes sense and you’re in line to further your understanding by telling…somebody, anybody about how Jorge Lazer was in space saving the world. No, he was really in space!
You guys might not know this, but now you will—the mere fact that we have to try harder to process the happenings in a book, means we are closer to those events. Reading is simply not the same as watching a picture go by on a screen. It’s harder, and this difficulty brings us closer to the events and emotions involved much of the time. This is why we still read—the inert drive to further our creativity and therefore our empathy for the world around us as we become closer even to places we may never see.
Reading may be archaic but it’s also human. And those people who don’t read, they don’t need to, but they want to, and wish they would.
U.L. Harper is the author of The Flesh Statue, Guidelines for Rejects and In Blackness
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Christina
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Aug 05, 2011 05:49AM
Nodding. It's true, you form a deeper bond when you read it than see it. Besides, movies almost never live up to your expectation of a book, especially a favorite book. Worlds open up to you and take on another dimension when you read. I can be someone else, do something out of my comfort level.
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Obviously, I agree. Sometimes it's better to create than to just have. Not all the time, but when it comes to reading. Want to hear a crazy stat. It was reported that in the early to mid 90's ninety million Americans could not functionally read. That means they could fluently read a headline of a newspaper and struggle to read its deck. Then they could struggle to read the caption to the picture. Crazy, right.
I believe it. I tutored in high school and was amazed by what my peers did not know, most of their problems stemmed from poor reading skills and comprehension. I am not intelligent by any means, nor bragging, it says a lot that I was asked to tutor, things were that bad.Our education system is beyond pathetic and gets worse with every politician's crusade to save it. With all that this country has in the way of resources, WHY aren't we eradicating this deficit in illiteracy? Sorry, platform dismantled.
Last thing. You'll find this interesting, on a slightly separate subject. I kid you not, South Korea has a plan in place to supply over 90 percent of their kids with tablet devices. They're switching ALL text books to digital. They're trying to be done by 2015. They've been getting started with the plan since about 2008. In general, seriously, our school's computers can barely turn on, and they struggle to play windows media player. Just sayin. And it's the last I'll say on it.
Our schools will always be behind because we let them be. Good post!
