Books Before Nooks

One part of the discussion last Thursday that struck me was the concept that future generations will stray from our traditional idea of “reading.” Reading books and escaping into the written word, for me, is one of my favorite places. This C.S. Lewis quote sums up my feelings about reading, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” Give me a cup of hot tea, a good book and a blanket and I will be lost of hours. So naturally, I was sad to realize during our discussion that in 100+ years, children won’t be reading paper books, but electronic versions, like iPads, nooks, and kindles. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think those devices have their place. They are more economical and they save trees, but to me, there is something magical about pulling a book off the shelf and opening to the first page. I love the feeling of breaking open the binding. I love that my favorite books look like they have been run over by a train, with folded pages, creased binding, and tear stains on the best parts. I want my children to experience the joy I felt when I first read Harry Potter, staying up late with a flashlight underneath my covers. I know this is just a personal preference. If my children will only read off an electronic copy, then by all means, they can do that and I will have no objection. I would rather my children, or my future students, read on a tablet than not read at all. At the end of the day, reading is reading. However, for me, I will always be drawn to that old book with the crinkled binding and creased pages.