on may 7, 2006, harper lee wrote a letter to oprah winfrey (published in O in July 2006), in which she wrote about her love of books as a child and her dedication to the written word:
Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books.
4 comments:
One hears that LOTS of people are plodding along with the estimable Ms Lee. Predictions/announcements of the death of print books seem to have been wildly premature.
Talk to a lot of people under 30 and many just do not read much and, in particular, do not read books.
There is a generational divide as reading a book cover to cover requires an investment of time that many multi-tasked and over committed people these days do not have time -- or say they do not have time -- to do.
A couple of thoughts:
1. Print is, indeed, heading toward downfall. Reader's Digest is in Chapter 11, and that's a little scary (my sister works for a subsidiary). We knew it was the beginning of the end when they canceled our free subscriptions.
2. The reason I don't own an iPod is solely for the reason that I'd probably never pick up a book again. I love to read. I realize I don't often have the time to do it, and popping in a cd from the Harry Potter series makes traffic on 35 bearable, but it's not the same. I like to 'see' the characters in my own 'voice'.*
*Jim Dale, who has narrated all of the Harry Potter books is fantastic. I would listen to him read the bible. King James version, even!
will: i'd like to believe that that's true, and i hope i'm not typical of what's happening--me, who used to routinely spend hours each day curled up with a book, and now rarely do.
noblesavage: i think you're right--we're all about quick cuts now.
judi: reader's digest--both their monthly periodical and condensed books (yeah, i'm white trash, what's your point?)--were staples of my youth, and i hate to see 'em go.
"an article a day of enduring significance, in condensed permanent booklet form" (and no, i did not have to google it.)
oh, and "harry potter and the sorcerer's stone" was the first audiobook i ever experienced--imagine my shock and disappointment when i found out all audiobook readers were not of the caliber of mr. dale.
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