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The Importance of Books, By Wendy Spencer, Vice President
3/4/2010
Lately I have been reading books voraciously on all sorts of topics, fiction as well as non-fiction. It is amazing the vast amount of knowledge that is written down and contained within pages of books! Recently I spent hours at a book store pouring over thousands of books . One thing I realized as I looked over these books was the fact that I would not be able to read and absorb even a fraction of all the knowledge contained within those four walls. I am naturally very curious about everything and anything.
When I was young I remember spending time at my grandparents’ house and countless hours reading through their collection of National Geographic magazines from cover to cover. My grandma had saved every issue for for over 20 years! This meant many hours of finding out about distance places and people. The recorded history that we as a culture in the 21st century have the ability to learn about is overwhelming but also a trove of treasures about times past, great heroes as well as villains. With each book that is read, no matter the subject, the reader always gets to take away something--whether it is looking at something from a renewed perspective or learning more about oneself.
Everyone has their own criteria for what makes a good book or why an author is a favorite. I have been reading a lot of classics lately like Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, and Vanity Fair. These stories still resonate with people all over the world today and are very well known works. I do read a few contemporary authors but much prefer classic literature. I recently re-read Walden by David Thoreau and was reminded about nature and a different perspective on the natural world and our place in it.
It is amazing to be so moved by stories and provoked to learn more about any given subject. I encourage everyone to pick up a book or two in something that interests you or a subject that interested you in earlier phases of your life. It is amazing how easy it is to awaken your senses when reading a great book!
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