We do have a culture. We are a culture of readers and writers. Reading and especially writing, is democracy. Liberty and free thinking exist only where those freed people fight to preserve it. A freedom is only so good as the protections behind it. Reading to a child develops a special bond between the giver and the receiver. There is nothing like opening a book; looking at the pictures; holding something tangible. This is the time to depend on small, independent publishers. I have relished spending time in bookstores. We should not take that venue for granted. It would be a sad day when we could no longer find ourselves immersed in a book in a store. Libraries that have shelves stocked with this commodity may need to
fight to keep preserved. There could be a run on books if there were a book shortage. We need to fill in the gap that would make it possible for us to lose this important freedom-reading. We should make it an impervious possibility-the idea of losing this freedom. We must give voice to this freedom of expression. What is your inspiration if not to read? It has been said that a good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. ~Author Unknown Why do we have language if not to expound on it. Books make it possible for us to take ideas and make them our own. We find our resource and research through reading books. We
find characters that we can relate to in reading a book. An author can use his experiences to draw from when writing. We all have a life story. We all have a story to tell. Each individual has his own style of reading and writing that noone can take away from him. The reader and writer learns to stretch himself in order to
imagine. Our passion needs to be directed towards the written word. Without books, how would we have philosophy and religion? It is difficult for some people to believe that printed books could become obsolete. Knowledge is knowledge only when it has a point of reference. Newspapers and magazines are relevant but are quickly
losing funds to produce them. What then? Reading the Sunday newspaper has become an American pastime. It is just plain fun to skim over books in the library to choose from. We become more than spectators in reading a story. We become participators.
We grow from passive to active. Books are the tools that allow us to do that. We pick up the book and the author does the rest. We are inquisitive by nature. The readers have questions and the book has answers. Books hold the treasured secrets
that we keep or share. Reading books is a tradition. We don't like to think of future libraries becoming museums. Now is the time to avoid distractions like television, video games, iphones, and ipods long enough to value the book. Most people have stretched themselves academically to read. Still, others have not taken the initiative. Turning the page has proven to be a tactile experience. Technology
for all of its means and purposes cannot replace rapport gained through sharing
the printed word.
