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Photo Credit: Kaylan Dula
A recent video that Dana, (also known as TheBookHoarder on YouTube), posted has promted me to think a lot about why I read what I read and why I read when I read.
The video discusses the idea of why a person reads and what reasons are considered healthy or unhealthy. This resonated with me because I realized that I was also struggling with this question, although I had not been able to put it into words yet.
One of the telltale signs of a book lover is whether or not a person brings a book with them everywhere. While I usually tend to keep a book in my car or tote bag, I rarely pull them out because I either cannot concentrate when reading in public, or because I get car sick when trying to read in moving vehicles. Listening to audio books, however, does not make me carsick. Audio books, I am certain, are a means of escapism for me.
I turn on an audio book and pop in my headphones when I'm driving, cleaning, or falling asleep. These are the times I find myself most susceptible to facing my own thoughts.
For the lover of storytelling, I could understand how it seems insulting that people only read to escape reality; they may not fully understand the beauty of the craft. But doesn't everybody, at some level, use books and stories to escape reality? People marathon Netflix and Hulu as a means of escapism, so who says I can't do the same with books and short stories?
Looking back at the kids who always read the most books in elementary and middle school, there was never a certain "stereotypical reading kid". I remember one Asian girl who's family would expect nothing less, one girl with an abusive father, socially awkward kids, one rich girl with very intelligent parents, and then a lot of kids I have lumped together in the Nothing-Seems-Wrong category.
Overall, read because you want to. Read because it makes you feel better. Heck, even if you just like collecting books, do that! I think it's about time that readers take a stand and stop allowing people to label us.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject :)
Until next time, Happy Reading!