5 Reasons To Read (Because Your Phone Can Wait)
Why should we read?
Reading is a pastime that’s forced upon us from a young age. We are paraded around libraries, given books to take home from school, encouraged by parents and loved ones to read, read, read. And as we get older, there seems to be this fascination with books— movies, and TV shows where the main character is “bookish” and wants to become a writer, book clubs popping up all over towns and cities, and ‘booktok’ becoming a massive trend.
I can’t lie, I 100% buy into all of these fads. I love books, I care about my bookcase aesthetic, and I have joined many book clubs. But many people in my life don’t read at all, and when it comes up, I’m always eager to encourage them to pick up a book, find their genre, try an audiobook, SOMETHING. But why? Why do I care so much about reading? And the more I reflected on that question, the more I was met with answers (personal and otherwise).
So, why should you read? Here are my five reasons.
#1: Reading creates moments of pause throughout our day.
Our days are filled with screens. We work all day long on laptops, monitors, phones, tablets, etc., that bewitch us with their blue light. In seconds, we can be online shopping, then formatting a spreadsheet, then texting our friends (you get the gist).
But with books, we are many steps removed from our virtual world. We are connected to something tactical that we can flip through and enjoy at the rate we want to enjoy it. There are no texts popping up to disrupt our thoughts or emails pinging through on the side; we are just here— sitting, reading, wading through another world.
#2: Reading connects us across miles, divides, and lifetimes.
I recently finished the book Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (which is seriously one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read). This story took me a step beyond my reality, connecting me with a young man in Virginia’s rural Appalachia who struggles with poverty, foster care, drug addiction, loss, and so much more. And despite our differences, I become so enraptured with his world and captivated by his strength. In an interview with Oprah, Kingsolver speaks to how she created a character that was so specific but connected with folks worldwide, and that got me thinking about how powerful stories are.
No matter who we are, where we come from, or what lifetime we’re born in, we can pick up a book and connect. There are so many authors I’ve grown to love and characters I’ve fallen for that speak to the smallest and largest parts of me (but exist nowhere near me). We read books from centuries ago and find they are still timeless. We read stories about folks entirely different from us and learn from them, love them, and connect with them all the same. It’s phenomenal, and it’s all the more reason to read! To expand your horizons, gain new perspectives, and find stories that speak to you.
#3: Reading nourishes our minds and imaginations.
As we get older, we tend to use our imagination less and less. As a little girl, I decorated garages with flowers to make it my ‘home’ and played with Barbies until the wee hours of the morning at sleepovers. And while I struggle now to create those vibrant worlds I stepped into as a child, reading still provides me with a way to stretch my imagination and play.
Reading is an opportunity to exercise your mind, teach it new things, and expand your creativity for as long as you live.
#4: Reading curates community.
There is nothing more exciting than talking about books I adore with people who also adore them. Reeling over the unexpected twists and turns, getting emotional over the book’s big heartbreak, hating the villain, and so much more.
But aside from the dialogue books create amongst us, are the opportunities they provide for us to gather and connect in person (remember those book clubs I mentioned?). Recently, one of my favorite authors, Lily King, was coming to town to talk about her recent release, Heart the Lover.
One of my close friends who recently had a baby absolutely adores her as well, and luckily, we were able to meet up and listen to King speak. It was a night filled with laughter, adoration, and reconnection that completely filled my heart. And it never would’ve happened without books.
There is no friend as loyal as a book.
Ernest Hemingway
#5: Reading helps us escape our world… and enter a new one.
We all know how tense and disheartening our world can be, especially right now. And the best thing about reading is that it allows us to escape. There are millions of books to choose from every day, and each one holds the ability to transport us from our current reality into an entirely new one. It’s magical.
